- Label: 'Last Night From Glasgow'
- Genre: 'Pop'
- Release Date: '26.3.21.'
Our Rating:
Gracious Losers are a Scottish collective who've managed to record an album with a full 15 piece band in the middle of the Pandemic which is achievement enough, the fact it's as wonderful as this is only adds to the awe this album may well inspire. The Gracious Losers feature members of among other bands Thrum, The Parsonage, Sister John and God Help The Girl.
The album opens with the Celtic folk rock of Till I Go Home a song of peak and a trough that is over far too quickly after less than a minute and half.
The Big Land feels more widescreen and expansive like they are near the top of a mountain in the Highlands looking at the wide-open expanse between them and the next Mountain, this has an almost folksy neckerchief rock feel to it with some very cool organ and mandolin while they tell us we all look like children when we sleep as Monica Queens backing vocals slowly become more prominent as she duets with Johnathon Lilley?
Flood Came Down the Hill is gently evocative and almost like the storm has abated and yet slowly that flood is coming down the hill towards you gently destructive and a rather beautiful song.
Loath To Leave is restrained and carefully produced and played song of love and regret that slowly builds around the piano motif.
The Accomplice is a beguiling as a couple, of intertwined strands of guitar and keyboards that gently builds as all sorts of effects add to the intoxicating blend.
Everything Begins, Everything Ends has a very cinematic folk soul feel to it, like something from the early 70's this swells and builds and dips and made me feel cocooned and almost like they have re-worked parts of Bowies Memories Of A Free Festival into a folky soul anthem.
The Fire At The Bottom Of The Sea is a nicely askew look at things with all sorts of musical magic distracting from the vocals before they draw you back in with yelps and a driving chorus.
You Got The Reach On Me is a gospel inflected tribute of sorts to Muhammed Ali that juxtaposes a few of his catchphrases as they do a musical rope a dope on us, this is one of coolest songs about Boxing I've heard in a very long time.
Come When You're Ready is gently bucolic folk rock that just lets you know that you don't have to hurry on over, they'll be waiting for you as soon as you can get your act together and come on over and this isn't over till you hear that big bass drum.
The Lead And The Light is a sparse barely there plea for the Lord to hear you when you call to help stop the insomnia worry and pain.
The album closes with the brilliantly titled When I'm Feeling Better Than How I'm Feeling Now that is as down at heart and blue as you might expect it to be, a wondrously rueful song of regret and heartache.
Find out more at https://shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/products/gracious-losers-six-road-ends?fbclid=IwAR2V6rpOJ70Ly1wCvFytKzjaUiIFy_8lyiPIKqYW_KTupTDqyHTuwp3EpIc https://www.facebook.com/The-Gracious-Losers-1905555083095410/?ref=page_internal
