Some albums are intense, some are incredibly hard work and only open up (sometimes, if at all) after a great many plays, and others will never be destined for mainstream radio play as there is nothing there to attract the masses. Then there are albums like this one, where all you need to do is check out the cover to have an idea of what it is going to be like inside. A sandcastle is being built, two guys are playing beach volleyball with a beachball, Sam is chilling, and there is also a lobster passed out from too much beer. Yes, this is a summer album about having fun, relaxing, recovering, and some pain. For ages I have been trying to best describe these guys, as while it is lazy to describe them as a Kiwi version of Mumford & Sons there is also some truth in it, as there are not that many pop bands who can get away with using a banjo as a key instrument. I knew that wasn’t enough, and I started thinking more about the lyrical content and the way the words are important and how they always tell little stores which are real life, and then it hit me, Squeeze! I have always felt the songwriting of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook are woefully overlooked, and once I made the connection the stronger it became.
Although wonderfully recorded and mixed by Jamie Crerar at Red Room Studios, mastered by Chris Chetland at Kog Studios, there is an honesty and lack of over-production which works incredibly well with this release. Better Man is probably my favourite, a duet which also has a far folkier side, combined with some wonderfully warm bass, gentle picked banjo, and delicate acoustic. This is an album that can be enjoyed on the very first time of playing yet one knows it is only going to get better with age. There is also the impression that in the studio the guys are somewhat restrained and that when they get on the road they become somewhat more raucous. I am sure these would go down well supporting {The Eastern}, it would be a real blast. The songs all have a similar musical thread through them, yet each is quite different, having its own life and identity with Sam’s vocals always front and centre. The result is a fresh sounding album which is a wonderful respite from the plastic monotony of so much on the radio and is both contemporary and incredibly dated all at the same time. Their sense of humour carries throughout the album, check out I Wanna Dance, and all the listener can do is smile and join in the fun.
Rating: 8/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Thesamloveridgeband
https://www.facebook.com/AllGoodAbsoluteAlternative
