GRANFALLOON - ALBUM REVIEW

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Granfalloon - Calendar - Chapter II 

Release Date: Out Now

I'm a little late in sharing this one as it came out at the end of October but an album like this is worth taking your time with so I am, as the kids say, sorry not sorry. Granfalloon, for those that haven't been paying attention, is the nom-de-plume of Richard Lomax but this album brings Lobelia Lawson along for the ride as a collaborator. The 12 chapter collection that is 'Calendar - Chapter II' opens with 'Emily's Garden' and you're instantly transported to a small, sun dappled back yard in a terraced street with Lomax plucking deftly at his guitar strings and singing forlornly in rich, velvety tones accompanied harmoniously by Lawson. And we're off...

'Why Bury Me In The Graveyard' has a more wild-west vibe as the fiddle and guitar embody the energy of a dawn duel and those vocal harmonies are like the spark from which country music took light. The country theme continues on 'Travelling Song' albeit with a lighter energy and more slide guitar (bravo Luke Dodd' while 'Two Feet' drags us back to Manchester and an afternoon spent wandering the cobbled streets to avoid being at home in the atmosphere of arguments and acrimony. The gentle ripple of 'Barbican Blues' has a ring of David Kitt to it's lo-fi beauty before 'When I'm Drunk' takes us on a trip down memory lane to visit various hostelries and good times of years gone by with a sound that would be what Eels sounded like had they formed in the North of England. 

The Granfalloon trick is subtly brilliant songwriting set to melodies that make you simultaneously sad and uplifted - it's a neat trick. Take 'Here Lies 54 (2014-2024)', for example, a song so rich in strings and early morning vocals that you could fall in to a deep sleep under the weight of it but something in the harmonies and the occasional guitar flick makes for a sense of optimism, a light at the end of the tunnel. 'Shh!' hangs around a stabbing string melody with a distinct Divine Comedy vibe with a hint of My Life Story in the sheer elegance of the whole affair but then 'Clear the Air' sees Lawson take centre stage with a sultry and heartfelt vocal performance, leaning on the heavy cello notes. 

The final three tracks gets going with 'A Heartfelt Plea' with those withered and withering vocals of Lomax tugging at your heartstrings and a scything slide guitar melody cutting at them further. The delicate lullaby of 'Seven Veils' hands Lawson the mic again with shimmering guitars and swooning melodies playing in the background like some sort of cabaret that has seen better days but retains its star attraction every Saturday night on that tattered stage. Our journey comes to an end with closing track 'Dreamsong' which sounds like a Jarvis Cocker poetry project made in conjunction with an indie whale and a cellist. I'm pretty sure I've said it before but it bears repeating, Granfalloon is vastly underrated and hugely under appreciated so hop to it and once you've fallen in love with this album then get on with exploring the back catalogue. 

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