REVIEW: The Answer - Solas

Northern Ireland quartet The Answer have been releasing albums for a decade now. From their debut Rise album they made a firm mark on the UK's rock scene, opening for the likes of Aerosmith and The Who, as well as gaining a special guest slot on AC/DC's 2008/9 Black Ice world tour. Two great albums in the form of Everyday Demons and Revival followed, but in recent times The Answer's story has stalled somewhat.

Their past two efforts, 2013's New Horizon and last year's Raise A Little Hell, whilst solid rock n roll albums, were missing a certain something. Both albums felt almost like the band were trying too hard, ticking all the boxes on paper, yet missing that certain spark and personality that made their earlier efforts so good.

Enter Solas. From the moment the swirling atmospheric intro fades in, it's clear this is not just another Answer album. James Heatley's steady beat behind the sparse guitars and dirty bass really drive home the otherworldly vibe. Most startling though is Cormac Neeson's vocals. We're used, by now, to hearing his banshee wail to kick things into overdrive from the get go, yet here he opts for a low growl, perfectly completing the picture. The chorus is a celtic gospel chant of the album's title track, the reverb drenched harmony really driving the new approach home.

This feel continues straight into the haunting Beautiful World, but the boys from County Down don't pussyfoot around for too long, the distorted guitars and a despairing wail from Neeson showing around the 1 minute 40 mark that they can still raise the volume when they need to, even if the ultimate effect is something entirely new. The acapella final line delivering the sort of spine tingling chills the band first did on the likes of No Questions Asked from their debut.

Not that it's all bleak atmospheric fare. Belfast's Streetwise Samba Band add their celtic shuffle to the upbeat Battle Cry. Left Me Standing shows the band haven't forgotten how to write a catchy rock tune during their evolution, and Demon Driven Man has absolutely all of the groove, as well as some tasty guitar licks courtesy of Paul Mahon. The six stringer in particular has never sounded better than he does here. Relieved of riff duties, for the most part, in favour of the overall melody of the songs, the freedom and space he's had to work within each tune's structure means that when his lead work does come to the fore, it's all the more prominent, and thus given even more impact. Nowhere is this more pronounced than on standout track Being Begotten, a constantly building bluesy number with some just outstanding playing.

It's clear throughout the album that the band have leaned heavily on their celtic roots. Thief of Light in particular could be an old Irish folk song, and there's just as much acoustic guitar and mandolin throughout the album as there is wailing Les Paul.
Ultimately Solas feels like an album The Answer wanted to make, rather than one they thought they should. It is simultaneously nothing like the band have made before, yet the truest Answer album to date. A sterling return to form.



Tracklisting:

Solas
Beautiful World
Battle Cry
Untrue Colour
In This Land
Thief Of Light
Being Begotten
Left Me Standing
Demon Driven Man
Real Life Dreamers
Tunnel

REVIEW: Blues Pills - Lady In Gold

This review was originally written for GetYourRockOut.co.uk

Two Swedes, an American, and a Frenchman go into a recording studio. What results is far from a joke, but rather a sterling piece of soulful, blues rock psychadelia. The Sweden based foursome have taken the 60s voodoo template of their 2014 debut and added lashings of soul and gospel elements to great effect.

This embellishment of the Blues Pills sound is evident right from the start, the title track opening with marching piano to the foreground and vocalist Elin Larsson's soulful banshee soaring over the top. The gospel style backing vocals adorning the track's crescendo complete the evolution from blues rock foreplay to psychedelic soul climax.

And the soulful notes keep coming, Little Boy Preacher bringing to mind flares and platform shoes rather than black lights and tie-dye shirts, and I Felt A Change is a straight up soul ballade, the simple electric piano really showcasing the emotion of Larsson's voice.

Not that the band have been castrated. Dorian Sorriaux's guitar may be less prevalent this time around, but it's subtlety makes it all the more impactful when it does take centre stage. The lysergic riff of Burned Out's atmospheric blues, coupled with the subtle organ, creating a remarkably transcendent atmosphere. Offset by a tremendous shuffle, and with Larsson taking it to church in the finale, it serves as a tremendous highlight only three tracks in.

Elsewhere there's more groove in the form of Bad Talkers and more blues powerhouses in the shape of You Gotta Try and Won't Go Back, the former with subtle similarities to former tour partners Rival Sons. Tony Joe White's Elements and Things gets the Blues Pills treatment to round things out. Sorriaux's crowning moment of the album, with the wah pedal being worked to the bone, his Peter Green-esque phrasing and economic note selection has him knocking on the door to be included alongside Joe Bonamassa and Scott Holiday in this generation's guitar heroes.

The work ethic embodied by Blues Pills' relentless touring in the wake of their debut has clearly paid dividends when it came to their sophomore studio effort. There's a greater variety in material than can be found on that freshman release, though it is very much more evolution than revolution. Some further experimentation and the taking of a few greater risks could've pushed the needle from fantastic to phenomenal, but on this trajectory the band are well on their way.



Tracklisting:

Lady In Gold
Little Boy Preacher
Burned Out
I Felt A Change
Gone So Long
Bad Talkers
You Gotta Try
Won't Go Back
Rejection
Elements And Things

REVIEW: illustr8ors - Photopia

After building a reputation off of an EP and a debut album (not to mention a killer live act) under the Black Wolf name, Photopia is the first album by these five guys under their new moniker of illustr8ors. Ridiculous spelling aside, the evolution in sound here undoubtedly prompted the change in branding, and whilst the band maintains the same broad rock flavour as their earlier incarnation, there's a definite new maturity to their sound, setting it apart from earlier releases.

A record of consistently good album tracks, initial listening revealed no real stand out. The possible exception being Shush Shush, which qualifies as the only obvious single amongst the 10 tracks on offer. After multiple listens though a couple more come to the fore (Feels Like Dying, Steady Slow) and once you're familiar with the songs you can really start to appreciate the craft on offer. Won't Bury Me for example offers a tonne of groove, and the light and shade employed in Grace, coupled with an arena-rock chorus, demonstrate a real honing of the craft since the youthful exuberance of the Black Wolf releases. Nowhere is this more evident than the slow burning Citizen. Invoking 90's grunge the track builds to a great crescendo with which to end the album, though one would have loved a longer guitar solo to really put the icing on the cake. One suspects the influence of producer Toby Jepson in that.
Ultimately one of the band's greatest strengths also proves to be it's biggest weakness. Scott Sharp, besides possessing a stupendous larynx, is capable of some fantastically poetic lyrics. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of this imagery, the words don't always marry themselves well to the melody, which may explain the lack of any real anthemic hooks here. There's a lot to be said for descriptive verses, but in this format a 'Keep It Simple Stupid' approach to the chorus often wields the best results, as opening track Something Biblical attests.

Changing the name of the band is one way to get around the 'awkward second album' problem, but ultimately there's a real development in sound here and you get the sense that the Bristolian quintet now have a much greater sense of who they are and what they want to achieve. It's a grower, but Photopia is very strong album who's nuances are much more appreciated in familiarity.


Tracklisting:

Something Biblical
Your Animal
Feels Like Dying
Won't Bury Me
Swimming With Anchors
Steady Slow
Shush Shush
Heal You
Grace
Citizen

REVIEW: The River 68's - Piece EP

Piece is the third EP from Glaswegian rock n soul band The River 68's, following their initial self-titled effort and the recent 'live and acoustic at La Chunky'. Those who know the band will already be familiar with their soulful, rock n roll sound and this EP continues in that vein with great success. The four tracks here are all feel-good, uplifting numbers, with subtle gospel vibes to each that can't help but raise your spirits. The guitar work on the two openers is just dripping in Stones-esque swagger, complimented perfectly with honky tonk piano and exquisite vocal harmonies. This is all set off by the goose bump inducing vocals of lead singer Craig McCabe, surely the UK's finest undiscovered talent. There's some variety included in the slow burning Forget Your Illusion, a track capable of giving even this hardened atheist a spiritual moment, before Make Hay When The Sun Shines combines the best of both worlds to bring the EP to a close. It's another slice of genius by the Scottish outfit that is over all too quickly, but hopefully they'll be hitting the studio soon with a view to recording a full length effort. Without doubt ones to watch.



Tracklisting:

Sonny And The Second Hand Store
Rush
Forget Your Illusion
Make Hay When The Sun Shines


You can download this EP from the band's Bandcamp page here.