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Working within the similar kind of epic, yet world-weary realm, of The Verve or Elbow (producer Bill Hiller also produced Elbow's 'Cast Of Thousands'), this Mancunian trio have produced two gorgeous slices of melancholic pop in the form of 'Lost Souls' and 'Last Broadcast'. Fans of those albums (congratulations you win a Smokecds "good taste" award) should leap straight into 'Some Cities' with the utmost confidence, this is a quite brilliant album, one which truly opens up to the listener after half a dozen listens, and one which will undoubtedly end up in many critics "Best Of 2005" lists. The ghostly swirling nature of the band's music is still the key to success, but this time subtle changes are a foot - lyrically this album is more personal and certainly direct, while drummer Andy Williams takes a more propulsive centre stage, adding a certain perkiness to the trademark euphoric misery. Essential tracks come in the form of "Black & White Town" (about growing up in, and wanting to escape from suburban Manchester), the U2 tempered "Walk In Fire", the epic "Snowden", the gorgeous Air influenced "The Storm" (containing elements from Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'Snake Eyes' score), the beautiful flute laced "Someday Soon", opener (and title track) "Some Cities", and the plaintive "Almost Forgot Myself" . The result is an ambitious and perfectly formed "grown up" pop record that will generously reward the enthusiastic listener. Recommended. Shipping Monday Feb 28th. |
