My Grey Horse - I Still Don't Understand (CRC Music)
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| My Grey Horse - I Still Don't Understand |
Release Date: 28th July 2014
I have to admit to being slightly
surprised to find out these guys are from Stratford-upon-Avon as their sound
suggests that they might come from some US logging town at the foot of a
mountain and near a great lake. Wherever they come from, though, is relevant
when the music is so engaging and enthralling. Opening tracks 'Need Wood',
forthcoming single 'Days Will Follow' and 'About Time' are pitched somewhere
between Grandaddy, the Futureheads and Kings of Leon having a dusk jam on their
porch. By the time we get to 'Waste Of Air' the quintet's gorgeous
multi-layered harmonies are taking full flight and on 'I Lived Here Once' the
band are fully ensconced in 70s Americana. Despite the harmonies, there are
question marks over the lead vocals at times but only a way that you might
accuse Beck of not being the world's greatest singer and on tracks like
'Fortunate' and 'John D Longlake' the melodies and songwriting does more than
enough to compensate.
Things pick up a little, pace
wise, on 'All These Mornings' as the jittery guitars provide the perfect foil
for the sleepy harmonies while on 'Big Night' some gorgeous keyboard work
transports to a future imagined by a geeky teenager in 1970s America. This is
well crafted and intricate stuff on display so if you're looking for a quick snack
then move along. However, if you're looking for something with delicate
flavours worth savouring then look no further than tracks like 'Too Slippy' and
the sublime 'We Need To Work It Out'. Closing up with the piano lead stomp of
'You'll Never Learn' leaves things on a high note as the drums pound and the
guitars grumble and whine in the middle distance. The harmonies, the moods and
the craftsmanship in these songs are things to be applauded but I'd be tempted
to give a bit of oomph to those lead vocals. If that were to happen then I
think we'd be looking at something with the legs to go all the way.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/mygreyhorse?fref=ts
Live Dates:
2nd July - Brum Notes Magazine July Launch @ The Sunflower
Lounge, Birmingham
22nd July - The Village Underground, Shoreditch w/The Veils