Not since the Cowboy Junkies "Blue Moon" has a song captured the best parts of country music
(strummed guitar, harmonica, simple rhythm) and wrapped them up in a shiver-inducing voice such
as that belonging to Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. Try listening to this one with the sound turned up high in a
darkened room and soon every chord, every breathed vocal becomes almost tangible. Perfect late-night
music to play when you're alone, "Flowers In December" is timeless and heedless of all going on
around it. Beautiful.
"Tell Your Honey" on the b-side is a steel-guitar driven track, featuring those heavenly
vocals once again. "Hair And Skin" features a 60s-style organ as well as guitar and drums, and
has a laid-back, San Francisco hippy-ish feel to it, albeit with a dark edge of menace.
Rating: 10/10
The Rest
A surprisingly rocky single from Martin Rossiter and his oft-criticised band, "Fighting Fit"
is a typically lyrical and intelligent song, featuring Rossiter's rich vocals over some Jam-like
power chords. Not really covering any new ground for Gene, it is nevertheless a great track.
Proof of its accomplishment is that it sounds immediately like a Gene song, not a Smiths cover...
"Drawn To The Deep End" is a piano-backed angst-ridden lament, featuring some tremulous singing
almost reminiscent of Erasure's Andy Bell. Third song on the CD is a forgettable cover of the Small
Faces' "Autumn Stone"
Rating: 9/10
Sounding as though it was recorded underwater inside a biscuit tin, this beat-up piece of
white-trash blues punk grunge is dirty and loud enough to be locked up. Not the kind of song
you would bring home to meet your parents (it would kill them), "2Kindsa Love" is nevertheless
an energetic and euphoric single if you like your music down and dirty. Just don't get too close
to it...
Instrumental "Fish Sauce" on the b-side is a slowie, creeping up on you and whispering whiskey-soaked
nothings in your ear as it reaches inside your jacket and steals your wallet, as a blues piano
tinkles away in the background. "Cool Vee" is another stray cat of a track,
sniffing around the garbage as it throws bluesed-up and boozed-up guitar chords around over some sampled scratchings.
Rating: 8/10
Imagine Talking Heads or B-52s wackiness married with Beach Boys and Teenage Fanclub harmonies
and you're close to Silver Sun and this in-your-face and catchy track. Also calling to mind
Boston's greatest, The Pixies, this is an impressive bit of off-center indie rock. Student disco
fare, but none the worse for that.
"Changing" is PUSA or Weezer dweeb wackiness at the Night of 1000 Guitars contest, and "Streets
Are Paved With Tarmac" - despite the lamentable title - is a driving piece of 50s style rock
and roll.
Rating: 8/10
Just as immediately catchy as some of Broudie's past efforts, "What If..." is a classic
pop single; all bright guitar and boy-next-door "ba-ba-ba" lyrics. The chorus is dangerously
close to "3 Lions" territory, but the Lightning Seeds latest is much better than that..!
I harbour the fear that this band will end up releasing rehashes of the same 3-mnute pop songs
again and again, but for the moment, they are still important.
B-side "Never" is actually a better song than the a-side, using keyboard effects to - for
the Lightning Seeds - bold and brave effect to come up with a Denim-like sound of the 70s
cheesy disco track. Great stuff. "The Crunch", the other extra track, again features "ba-ba-ba"
lyrics...and very little else. Obviously an idea for a song that Broudie decided wasn't good
enough, it is merely a filler.
Rating: 7/10
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