Scott Anchors & The Heavyweights - Strange 
Weather
Release Date: Out Now
This might be the debut album from Scott Anchors & the Heavyweights but these are no BRIT school kids fresh off the conveyor belt or bedroom noodlers with nary a gig to their name. No, Scott Anchors and his co-conspirators Lewis Chappell, Toby Parker and Nathan Leyland are battle scarred and ready for a new fight so brace yourselves before jumping into this one. 'Strange Weather' opens with the moody jangle of 'Don't Fight The Ride' which makes you want to strap yourself on to a diesel fuelled hog and pull on to the highway just as the sun rises on the first day of the rest of your life. Recent single 'Holiday' has a bluesy, Yardbirds meets Jet vibe with slightly Kinks-esque vocal melody but backed by a beefier rhythm section. It's strong one-two to start with.
Third track 'Last Night On Earth' is an unexpectedly positive and uplifting track that bounces along with Redd Kross meets Magic Numbers melodies while 'Big Star' gives us a blast of harmonica fuelled rock'n'roll that is perfect for your next road trip playlist. On the title track, 'Strange Weather', things drop down a notch tempo wise as we stop the road trip to take in the wide vistas of the American plains stretching out ahead of us full of hope, possibility and lazily sweeping melodies.
'Wildfire' gets us going again but this time with a more 80s feel that puts me in mind of INXS (a big compliment round these parts) before 'Man On The Run' goes a little early Bryan Adams on our collective asses but only Adams had been raised in a more punk household. The groove on 'Save Me From Loving You' makes it my standout track on the album as it gives me the same feeling of walking into a gig slightly late and feeling the energy of the music hit you right between the eyes. And ears.
Penultimate track 'Kathleen' is a Spaghetti Western romp with a rolling, military beat and twanging, Duane Eddie guitars weaving a sad and dramatic tale. The last of the 10 tracks (perfect length) is 'Dream Of You' which is one of those tracks that you just know goes down well live with the duelling guitars and indie-rock beat full of energy and punch. I'm not sure what I expected from this album but the range of influences and styles coupled with the focus on melodies was not it and I am more than pleasantly surprised with that.
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