It’s hard to believe this is only the second album from the Wigan collective who seem to have been around, if not forever, then at least since the Brit-pop glory days. Singing like his life depended on it, James Walshe’s booming, pitch-perfect voice is the dominant force once again but, really, the main point of interest here is the fact that the legendary Phil Spector produced two of the tracks. (The fact that he is currently on a murder rap raises the intriguing possibility that this will be his last ever work).
That said, you’d be hard pressed to spot the Spectorian wall-of-sound influence anywhere. Apart from a vague Lennon-esque sounding piano (a la ‘Instant Karma’) on the chugging title track the production fits in neatly with the prevailing sound of this record. Arguably more Spector-like stylistically, ‘White Dove’ attempts an epic, string-drenched Scott Walker-style ’60s ballad with impressive results, though Walshe’s vocals are at times so overwhelming that you wish he’d hold back a tad.
Unfortunately, much of the rest is well-produced, deftly performed but ultimately plodding, humdrum fare of the type that went out of fashion long ago. Disappointing.