The Dudley Corporation’s third LP could, like so many other protracted enterprises, have been either an exercise in self-indulgence, or just a haphazard, unfocused muddle. The fact that the Dublin-based trio recorded it in nine different locations around the globe – ranging from frontman Dudley Colley’s front-room, to Fugazi’s base in Washington, D.C. – was also a risky endeavour. Just a single run-through of Year Of The Husband allays any misgivings however; this is a cohesive, accomplished album, and a satisfying follow-up to its acclaimed predecessor In Love With The Dudley Corporation.
As songwriter-in-chief, Colley’s ear for inventive song construction is striking; opener ‘The Lens Begin’, for example, launches with a driving alt-rock pulse that soon gives way to a nifty shift in tempo and melody, while ‘Step-Out’, featuring Carol Keogh from Autamata, plunders a line in quirky, melancholic indie that twists itself into a snarling implosion of drums and guitar. The influence of Kenseth Thideau of US indie-rockers Pinback (who guests here), is palpable too; many of these tracks are quiet epics that build to thrilling climaxes (‘Leave A Last Kiss’ is a particular highlight) in the Pinback vein.
It’d be misleading to heap acclaim on any one contributor, though; this is undoubtedly a Dudley Corporation endeavour through-and-through, consequently proving the old adage that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. A convincing and rewarding return.