Davey Woodward is an indie pop legend to some and an obscure outsider to most. Mainstay of The Brilliant Corners and The Experimental Pop Band and now in his fourth decade making alternative 'pop' music.
Having recently finished one project he decided the next album should be recorded quickly with musicians he was unfamiliar with. The band converged and with a whole five rehearsals under their belt they laid the songs down. So how successful was this venture and in what way?
"Caroline" is well dark but set to pop and I don't know how well that works for me. The album seems quite nostalgic to me like it's about the 70s from the perspective of the child who was there. Maybe that helps? "Build a Boat" reeks of it. Council flats and dock closures, "beaten up in the underpass, 1973".
Time may have moved on for "Girl in the Hoops". First love? "Tangerine Dream" and "Black Lipstick" seem to drag and I begin to think the hasty arrangements aren't helping. An upbeat track like "Home" seems to manage better, likewise "Tantalise". Four-four verse chorus, everyone on the same page. Plenty of depression on this album, whether it be death related (Horrors Cope) or a general malaise (Troubles of my Times). This is what happens with the passing of time. Unavoidable really.
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The album finishes with club banger "Dylan's Poster" and there is talk of a second album from this wrecking crew which should hopefully give them the opportunity to iron out a few creases.
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