As a rule we don’t normally review releases that are past six months old, but there’s always an exception. This though has to be the oldest release we’ve committed to print though as it dates back to those heady days of 2015…
Why review something so old? Well it came with a nice note…
Five years ago Gulliver Sideburns released this 12 track collection of Melodic Alternative Rock tunes on which (with a few slight exceptions) he played all instruments, and you know it’s not bad at all if you fancy a bit of variety as that is certainly what is on offer here. This is an album that runs the gamut of 70’s and 80’s rock with a touch of Funk here and Psychedelia there.
If I’m honest everything here is well played and the production is nice and crisp, but like a lot of albums that straddle genres some tracks are more likely to connect that others.
The best here are tracks like the firecracker retro-rocker that opens ‘Roll The Dice’ and the slowly simmering ‘Searching For The Light’ which mines a little Placebo and H.I.M. before getting interestingly funky. Then there’s the restrained Poppy ballad and single ‘One Last Little Thing’ which is pretty damn fine, and along with the gently drifting ballad ‘Memory of Your Face’ are the reasons that this album is definitely worth you attention.
After that there’s a few raw gems scattered amongst the costume jewelry. ‘Afraid’ is nice and atmospheric, if a little Alt-80’s in texture. ‘Truth’ is a little ‘Alice in Chains‘, and let’s face it pretty much everyone is doing AIC these days; but it’s a good take. And elsewhere the live ‘Never Let Go’ amongst other songs has a touch of really nice guitar work at its core.
You’ll like this, if you’re open to a little Alt Rock with an emphasis on Melody and mood. The next thought that will go through your mind is – five years later where is the follow-up?
7.5/10
Tracklisting: 1. Roll The Dice |2. Searching For The Light | 3. One Last Little Thing | 4. Memory of Your face | 5. Afraid | 6. One Of A Few | 7. Forgive Me |8. Truth | 9. Rising Above | 10. Break-in’ The Chain |11. Never Let Go | 12. All Because Of You