Although it’s not as immediate as either previous single “Halfway Across” or other album highlights such as, say, “Buy Me A Suit”, “One Nerve” is nonetheless another of those patented slow burners that CLAYHILL seem to excel at in their sleep these days. Gripping, lithe and attractively frail, it finds guitarist Ted Barnes, bassist Ali Friend and drummer Olaf playing it patient and restrained while Gavin Clark’s vocal drips honey, vitriol and pure, unadulterated sorrow. It’s the kind of gorgeous introspection designed to melt the hardest of hearts and reminds us (should we possibly have forgotten) that Clayhill are still one of the most quietly special outfits plying the fringes out there.
|
Exclusive B-side “Come Down” appears to be one they’ve been holding in reserve, because it’s certainly good enough to have made the cut for the recent “Mine At Last” album. All reined-in drums, bowed basslines, discreet Fender Rhodes and one of those descending chord sequences that can’t fail to score, it’s again the perfect canvas for Gavin’s emotional outpouring and is all the more effective due to the fact it remains tightly coiled rather than letting rip with the expected big chorus.
|
