German/Scouse alliance SONNENBERG’S debut ‘Fishing In The Pool’ was one of those quietly acclaimed little gems which can all too easily slip through the cracks, so it’s heartening to be able to welcome them back with their sophomore release, ‘The End of The Rain.’
The band’s line-up’s been reconfigured a little over the past three years. Primary singer/ songwriter Zinney remains centre stage, but he’s now joined full-time by gifted multi-instrumentalist Dave Thom (Calvin Party, Gone to Earth) and tabla player/ percussionist Saul Hughes. On record, at least, this core group is augmented by drummers Paul Sykes and/or Rob Morris as well as a few additional flavours including electric piano and backing vocals.
Regardless of any re-jigging, however, ‘The End of the Rain’ is a satisfying listen from stem to stern. In tune with folk, pop and entirely capable of throwing a few startling curve balls, it (again) gently seeps into your heart and makes itself very comfortable indeed.
The opening title track gives you some idea of what to expect. Plaintive and infectious, with jaunty accordions and duelling acoustic guitars weaving in and out of a melody to die for, it recalls early Fairport Convention and gets you onside straight away. Zinney’s voice has a pleasingly vulnerable quality and it’s the ideal vehicle for the heartfelt likes of ‘Save Me’, the brittle and scarred ‘Cold Ashes’ (featuring a gorgeous, finger-picked guitar solo from Dave Thom) and ‘Warm Bath,’ which sounds every bit as soothing and restorative as the title suggests.
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Elsewhere, the autumnal ‘Forever’ (“nothing would ever come between us...we vowed our love would never die”) and the beautifully sparse ‘The Road Ahead’ (“before you kiss me goodbye, hold on to me for a little while”) yearn for simpler times, while the hypnotically moody ‘Asylum’ shifts restlessly from pensive verse to anthemic chorus. Nothing ‘rocks’ as such, though the restless ‘Another Ship’ is adorned by some majestic lead guitar from Thom and ‘Mazes of Meaning’ pivots around a lithe, jazzy groove.
There are also a couple of wonderful surprises. Drenched in Saul Hughes’ tablas, ‘Sweet Life’ has a mantra-like, spiritual quality and Eastern promise aplenty, while ‘He Maya’ develops into a behemoth of a psych-folk raga and locks into an irresistible groove along the way. It’s arguably the album’s ‘epic’ moment, though the “home-made” acoustic version of ‘The End of The Rain’ succeeding it is just the ticket in coaxing the sun from behind the clouds and bringing the album to a suitably redemptive and intimate close.
Sonnenberg online
Probe Plus Records online
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