I must admit that some AOR, even when it is produced by undoubted talent, can still bore the pants off me. But some bands get it just right as the ‘unusually named’ Boys From Heaven did with their huge debut ‘The Great Discovery’. It’s one thing to love the music of a bygone age and replicate it but completely another to understand it and climb inside it as these guys do on ‘The Descendent’.
If you loved that debut then you’ll be more than happy with the opener ‘Sailing On’ which sounds wonderful – it’s sheer 80’s AOR wonderfully mixed by Eclipse’s Erik Martensson, and takes a heady mix of Kenny Loggins and Hall and Oates as it’s jumping off point.
‘Make It Right’ is a little funkier, a little Poppier, a little more blurred in it’s smooth staccato guitar and sax, but equally compelling. And when it hits the tear-jerker ‘Sarah’ invokes all those 80’s heartbreaks!
It’s a bold statement to make, but after listening to those three it’s hard to disagree with Keyboardist Mads Noye who says: “With this release, we have made an album that doesn’t just draw its inspiration from the 80’s, but also takes the listener through an array of emotions analogous with this period of music.”
‘Endless Love’ gets more soulful and ‘Last Time’ a little funky. Like on the debut one of the real stars is Chris Catton’s vocals and they are again simply wonderful on tracks like these, just the right balance of Rock and Soul to cut across the guitars and keys and kick of the rather excellent rhythm section.
‘Circles,’ replete with Sax and keys and a wonderful sense of life, is one of the very best up tempo numbers here and sees Catton push really that vocal: but for me the real joy of ‘Boys From Heaven’ are the slower numbers and whilst ‘The Dream is Gone’ winds up towards an upbeat chorus, it’s in the smoother, lighter verses where the magic lies.
With only eight tracks we’re soon to the end, and it’s ‘Too Far Gone’ that closes this second album with lilting sax and a moody vocal that sets a time and a place beautifully. Like ‘Smile’ that closed their debut there’s a gentle ballad to close, but unlike ‘Smile’ which came across like a lullaby, this one breaks into life. This is incredible stuff.
As I said last time “Simply lovely”.
‘The Descendant’ is out today on LP (180gr black vinyl, limited to 300), CD and digital formats via Target Records.
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“The Descendant” tracklist:
1. Sailing On | 2. Make It Right | 3. Sarah | 4. Endless Love | 5. Last Time | 6. Circles | 7. The Dream In Gone | 8. Too Far Gone
“The Descendant” can be ordered here.
Lineup:
Mads Noyé – keyboards | Mads Schaumann – guitar, vocals | Søren Viig Mathiesen – drums | Chris Catton – lead vocals | Jonas Klintström Larsen – saxophone | Morten Bille – bass
Webshop:
https://bit.ly/boys-targ
