Jack Cheshire – Long Mind Hotel (Gun
20 Records)
LP/DC/DL
23 September 2013
8.5/10
This Jack Cheshire chap is a
talented bloke, very talented. In fact,
file him under Poets rather than Songwriters, because that’s actually what he
is above anything. His words don’t rhyme
and that largely goes unnoticed in his ability to make the words (and his
voice) seem like an extra instrument. Instead
he writes in unique couplets which add to the unique presentations.
His style is hard to pinpoint –
nestling somewhere in between classic blues, 80s Indie, folk and vaudeville he
creates tunes that brim (and often overflow) with sheer quality and
ease. His words flow beautifully
at times reminiscent of the British pop/poet institution that is Ray Davies,
managing to fit the word ‘cantankerous’ effortlessly into album opener
‘Gyroscope’ which is a classic waiting to happen.
Moving to Liverpool in his formative
years, Jack studied music whilst becoming an accomplished
bass player, interestingly then adapting the bass playing style to the
guitar. There are often nods in the
general direction of Chris Isaac with his surf tinged plucking and obvious
improvisations which were recorded and left to settle in the dust.
On first listen the album seems
peculiar, almost a bit too different for its own good, but, after several more
listens (yes, you will want to play over and over again) the mood grabs hold
and won’t let go. The optimistic
‘Heavenly Bodies’ is another super catchy affair embroiled in sweeping
arrangements and general loveliness. The
title track describing the perils of drug abuse is majestic.
‘Kerosene’ is compelling with love
song, and album closer, ‘Moving In A Straight line’ ending
an album of surprises. An album of
superbly written, constructed and recorded tracks, and, an album which you
really should hear.
Links
Published on Louder Than War 19/09/13 - here
No comments:
Post a Comment