The Lunar Towers - Morpho Butterfly

Cheltenham band The Lunar Towers recently released their first song of 2024. ‘Morpho Butterfly’ was recorded at Yawn Studios in the Wirral with the masterful songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones and Nathaniel Cummings (Mick Head) producing. The single has been released via the impeccable Colorama Records.

Banner image & artwork courtesy of the band.

The time spent with Ryder-Jones has been well spent by frontman Rory Moore as he slips into The Coral co-founder’s gentle vocal husk. With Jones as his constant, Moore allows hints of Elliott Smith’s moonlit beauty and ‘Goodnight Unknown’ era Lou Barlow to glide in and out of view effortlessly.

Joe Richardson and Robn Sewell’s guitars provide the backdrop to this ode to the natural world and a beguiling woman they once encountered. The joy of The Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub is never far away from their fingertips. Their wayward beauty erupting into focused bursts of technicolour allows their visions of a “butterfly” or “the girl dreaming of” to swirl with an innocence that guitar music should always be steeped in.

The Lunar Towers' music resonates with summer's lazy, dreamy vibes, punctuated by occasional bursts of genius. Their sound, reminiscent of Belle & Sebastien’s glorious 1996 releases of ‘Tigermilk’ and ‘If Your Feeling Sinister’, captures the fertile periods of youthful ambition.

The Coral – Faceless Angel

Merseyside’s favourite sons, The Coral, have returned with their first new music in three years. ‘Faceless Angel’ is the lead-off single from their upcoming double album ‘Coral Island’. Recorded at the legendry Parr Studios in Liverpool, it marks the five pieces next adventure in pop-cum-psychedelia. Will it stack up?

With the swagger of Duane Eddy and the beguiling pop of Lee Hazlewood, you bet your life it stacks up. Johnny Cash’s abrasive licks are met with James Skelly’s iconic vocals. Cool, crisp and indebted to the 60s (and Wirral), Skelly tells tales of forlorn seaside towns and the characters within, whose identities, fade into obscurity.

The Horrors classic ‘Primary Colours’, brought the wild and dank side of the British coast to life. Here, The Coral have painted the fall out of those heady days. Melancholic and despairing, alive but not living, they conjure the images of grey landscapes trapped in yesteryear.

It’s nineteen years since they burst onto the scene with their debut album. They show no signs of slowing down creatively.

Red Rum Club - Matador

The Liverpool six-piece released their debut album 'Matador' on the impeccable Modern Sky label (The Blinders & Calva Louise) earlier this month.

It's a real album of two halves. The free-flowing euphoria of the first half screams single after single before, sadly petering out. Nevertheless, their peers will have to go far to match the anthem-heavy first 6 songs.

'Angeline' is a tour de force of their home city Liverpool. Vocally, frontman Fran Doran has channelled The Zutons' Dave McCabe whilst the guitarists have found their inner Will Sergeant. The most striking aspect comes from the Midlands though. The Dexys inspired soul is warmingly rousing.

The use of brass is key to the album’s success and failures. It adds richness to 'Would You Rather Be Lonely?' and 'TV Said So', giving the true stand-out moments. The former takes the crisp soul of The Style Council and the playful side of The Coral's early work on this tale of battling loneliness. It's a song, so empathetic in nature, it could only come from the good people of their great city. 'TV Said So', continues on a similar vein James Skelly-esque vocals and the sumptuous guitar licks and wobbles.

However, in the latter stages, the brass becomes overpowering and disjointed on the Latin and Mexican grooves of 'Calexico' and 'Casanova'. The every-man soul and pop prowess disintegrate but, you cannot deny that Red Rum Club is shackle-free and willing to take chances.

Ultimately, 'Matador's cons are so few they pale into significance. This album is so well stocked in bangers that, it has the potential of a two-year run on the album charts.