The Shop Window – Blues

Maidstone outfit The Shop Window will release their latest single, ‘Blues,’ on March 29th via their imprint Jangleshop Records.

Artwork & image courtesy of the band.

The Shop Window, a band that has long been on the radar, is bidding farewell to their cult indie status by releasing their bluesy jingle-jangle ballad,' Blues.' This unique sound marks their transition from a niche indie band to one poised to captivate the masses.

Sarah’s Records' beauty effortlessly blends with Carl Mann’s Andy Bell circa ‘Vapour Trail’ vocal, and the stoned melodic joy of ’10 Story Love Songs’ is evident in their latest single,' Blues.' This bluesy shoegaze track cuts through the world's chaos with a purity that offers hope for change, making it a fitting sonic ode to avoiding conflict and restoring love.

The Maidstone outfit is on the brink of unveiling their third album, and if this single is any indication, it's shaping up to be a strong contender for record of the year.

Cast - Love Is The Call

Cast return this Friday with their seventh studio album ‘Love is the Call’. It’s their first in seven years and sees them hook up with legendary producer Youth at Space Mountain Studios in Spain.

*image and artwork courtesy of Fear PR.

Last time out on ‘Kick Up The Dust’, there were offshoots of peak Cast, but overall, it loitered outside of this realm and became an album for only the truly loyal fans. This time though, frontman John Power and their manager, Alan McGee, have both been very buoyant about Cast delivering something special.

Pre-order the album here.

In the main, they’re not wrong. ‘Love is the Call’ feels like a debut album yearning to be set free onto the world to make its mark. ‘Forever and Day’ chugs with the optimism of a wiser mindset which knows the pitfalls to avoid. As Power sings, “some things in life are destined to change / and for the first time in forever you have a smile on your face”, the feeling of the band’s anxieties and creative fears melting away are tangible. Power’s melody is as pure as anything he’s ever written. It’s juxtaposed with a reassuring vocal sternness, like a father figure nudging young souls back to the light.

‘Time Is Like A River’ and ‘Tomorrow Calls My Name’ both stoke the band’s early creative fires, but now, Power’s lyrics look back with an experience and knowingness of when to fight and when to let go. The former meanders toward the ‘Forever Changes’ brass as the protagonist learns to let go of the past. ‘Tomorrow Calls My Name’ finds a sweet spot between vintage Cast, Shack, and Love on this tale of trepidation and redemption. The Bunnymen-esque acoustic guitars create a tense apprehension. Still, the melodic uplift in the chorus and Tyson’s sumptuous guitars provide a redemptive blueprint for even the most tarnished souls. Power’s vocal switches from defiant to hymnal as guitars rain down an emotional heft that surpasses ‘Walkaway’.

Throughout the album, two things become abundantly clear. Power’s songwriting has rediscovered the magic touch, and accompanying it is his desire to impart love and wisdom to the world. A well-lived life, not shared, is criminal, and Power is certainly not guilty. His pop sensibilities have also hit career peak with ‘Faraway’. It's more instant than a sun-drenched Coral ditty. The slight gravel tinge to his voice dissipates into choral euphoria as he attempts to lead us back to collectivism and kindness.

Restoration is key to this album. Cast have restored faith in humanity and their ability as a serious exponent of great music. Their faith in hope and love has, in turn, delivered, at worst, the best album since their debut. Where ‘All Change’ captured a moment of optimism and change in 1996, ‘Love is the Call’ seek to counter the fractured world with a reminder that things can, should, and will be ok again. It’s an arm around the shoulder of the discontented, a hand up off the floor to the disenfranchised but chiefly, great guitar music.

Shambolics - Dreams , Schemes, and Young Teams

Pre-order the album here.

Friday 16th, February will see the release of Fife’s Shambolics’ debut album ‘Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams via Scruff of the Neck Records. The album was produced by Chris Marshall (Gerry Cinnamon).

*banner image courtesy of Fear PR. Credit Liam Maxwell.

It’s been six years since they announced themselves as serious players with their debut single ‘When She Goes Home’. At that point, Blossoms and The Lathums were in serious ascension and, for many, despite their fine melodies, lacked an edge that these bleak times deserved. It is then notable that it, along with fan favourites ‘Sandra Speed’, ‘Chasing A Disaster’, and ‘Love Collides’, do not appear on the album.

Bold? Yes. Reckless? No.

In ‘Attention’, ‘Losing Your Mind’, and ‘Daily Dosage’, they have a new arsenal of melodic weapons to unleash.  ‘Attention’ is relentless and grand, perhaps capturing their live sound for the first time on record. Flourishes of The View combine with Fleetwood Mac and Big Star to conjure a dream-like state to rejoice in. ‘Losing Your Mind’ gracefully strides out into moonlit skies with angelic guitars before ascending to a ‘Rumours’-esque classic. The co-frontmen Darren Forbes and Lewis McDonald transcend music here with an ethereal rock ‘n’ roll vocal that will echo into eternity if any justice is left in this industry. ‘Daily Dosage’ leans into the melodic ache of ‘Well I Wonder’ and the sweeping majesty of ‘There Is Light That Never Goes Out’ as they guide The Smiths to a sunnier disposition.

While the standard remains melodically, the characterisation and intensity significantly outweigh the early years. This newfound substance spills over sonically on ‘If You Want It’ and ‘Fight In Side’, their heaviest sound to date. The substance levels and creativity spread their wings on ‘Tambourine Tam’ and ‘Universal Credit’. The former is armed with a Jamie T-esque riff, and The Libertines’ ramshackle beauty cuts through the album's archetypal harmonies. ‘Universal Credit’, is a joyously sardonic take on being on the doll whilst in a band. The humour of their interviews has now filtered into their writing and created a Sick Boy and Renton-style rant to guitar hooks worthy of The Rakes and The View.

Forbes and McDonald’s vision of working-class life is no better exemplified than in ‘Everything You Should've Done’ and ‘Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams’. It is a tale of what might have been versus a clarion call to chase your dreams. ‘Everything You Should've Done’, sonically euphoric, which is the notion it’s protagonist is trying to generate with drugs as they tragically run away from real life. The title track, however, is gritty, feel-good British cinema parading as an instant pop classic. Recklessly defiant and oozing confidence will make the oldest of souls feel like a teenager again! Together, the songs light up the working-class struggle for the first time in a generation. The former, downtrodden with no sense of a future, it's easy to check out of society with misguided dissipation as our hearts cry out for heroes on TV screens. What ‘Dreams, Schemes & Young Teams’ does so well is to lay bare the struggle and hope. Forbes and McDonald’s sense of Albion isn’t going to come by just wishing. It will be a long, hard road, but, such is their ebullience, you believe they will get there.

As debut albums go, it's not quite in the pantheon of all-time classics, but there are moments when it is. At worst, it's banging on that door to be allowed in.  Above all else, it’s refreshing to hear working-class life soundtracked by great melody again.

Cast – Faraway

Liverpool’s iconic Cast returned this month with their new single ‘Far Away’. The lead single from their upcoming album ‘Love Is The Call’ (released Feb 16th) was recorded at Space Mountain Studios with Youth (Shed Seven / Embrace) in Spain.

*Image and artwork are courtesy of Fear PR.

Pre-order ‘Love Is The Call’ here.

2017’s ‘Kick Up The Dust’ felt like a big moment for Cast. Frontman and songwriter John Power rediscovered his purity of songwriting on ‘Further Down The Road’ and ‘How Can We Lose’. Liam ‘Skin’ Tyson’s live magic began to filter through on the title track, but, crucially, Power and Tyson’s melodies began to touch hearts on ‘Baby Blue Eyes and ‘Paper Chains’.

What Cast tapped into seven years ago has been doubled down on ‘Faraway’. The melody is so instant you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a lost B-side circa ‘Mother’s Nature Call’. Power’s has matured into a gravel-tinged angelic career best. It breeds harmony and a sense of peace throughout this exploration of a world that doesn’t care or listen anymore.

Power’s state of repose filters through into Skin’s playing. The freeness of his guitar glistens on horizons as far as the eye can see, but crucially, they infect the mind further.   The spirit of the West Coast, Shack, and Richard Hawley’s romanticism ooze through the guitars with a hazy, undeniable reassurance.

It may have been seven years, but that itch was worth waiting for! This Cast classic will demand the best from Liam Gallagher to top on tour this summer!