Another collection from the classic retro songbook for these Scousers who belie their relative youthful age by skipping at least two musical generations in search of pop nirvana via the sounds of Merseybeat and the West Coast.
THE STANDS are less circuitous than their postcode peers. Instead of the scally psychedelia of The Coral or the voodoo blues of The Zutons they seek out direct and linear melodies that in less capable hands would amount to little more than the karaoke equivalent of raking over old coals. Luckily they imbue their songs with blissful melodies, catchy hooks and heartfelt vigour to such a consistent (and often thrilling) level of elegance and excellence that it’s hard to begrudge them their obvious influences. What could so easily have been uninspiring is instead yet another reminder – when we really weren’t looking for one - of how great the collective songbooks of Lennon, McCartney, Nash, Stills etc. really are.
If there is a particular furrow they plough then it is the era of the pop to rock crossover, the time in the latter half of the sixties when bands tried to extend themselves beyond the rigidity of the singles format but not to the point of sacrificing melody and the discipline of tight arrangement: there’s no time for extended solos when there is a killer tune with which to dazzle the listener.
Opener ‘Turn the World Around’ is so full of superlatives for The Beatles that they’ve done a Jeff Lynne and given us an ELO makeover. ‘Soon Come’ is the one for those who believed that only The Las could fly the flag while ‘Just Enough’ recalls The Faces, both Small and adjective free as does ‘Bluer Than Blue’. ‘I Will Journey Home’ soothes with its harmonies that bridge the vocals of The Hollies with the sun-kissed acoustics of CSN: which I suppose makes it a Graham Nash tune!
|
And so it goes: each track a wonderful reminder of past glories but also accomplished and distinctive enough to sustain interest, THE STANDS always managing to divest enough of themselves in their music to register as a band in their own right. On ‘Nearer Than Green’ and ‘Do It Like You Like’ they crank up the rock sensibilities, the former sounding like an outtake from ‘Revolver’ while the latter once again evokes the beat-centric stomp of ELO. There’s even room for a tribute to John Barry (as played by The John Barry Seven after the soundtrack years) that could be the down-tempo companion to the theme from The Persuaders.
‘Horse Fabulous’ walks a fine line between pastiche and genuine galvanisation. It succeeds primarily by the quality of the songs on offer but next time around THE STANDS will need to stretch themselves beyond these musical ties that will eventually bind.
|
