Review by Jon Birch
Listen Up Manchester album rating 7/10
Hailing from deepest Herefordshire, Heed The Thunder are
perhaps the antidote to the pseudo pop-folk middle-classery of Mumford and
Sons. The four piece band (with occasional additional collaborators), led by singer
and lyricist Alex Gordon deliver an album of 12 well-crafted songs that prove it
takes more than a neckerchief and a banjo to play folk inspired sounds full of
soul and passion.
They dub their style, ruralcore; a mix of skiffle, Americana
and traditional English Folk music. All of these influences, plus many more,
are evident across the debut album, All Those Black Years, which was recorded
in two days in a friend’s kitchen. The majority of what you hear on the record
are full band, live recordings and, whether an artistic decision or a monetary
based one, it proves to be the right one. By recording this this way, none of
the chemistry in the band is lost. The final recording includes all those
delicate interplays and slight imperfections that make live music so appealing.
The album starts slowly with Walking Blues and the Sadness
In Me, both of which are gentle and reflective ballads. However, it really
starts to come alive on Precious One. It’s the stand out track on the record
with a foot tapping beat, lively trumpets and a huge sing-a-long chorus.
Other highlights include Baby Got To Run, which is the most
up-tempo track on the album, the oddly named Donkey Blood and Easter Tree. Written
by English folkie, Dave Goulder, it’s a modern take on the traditional folk
song, ‘The Gallows Tree’, a haunting ballad about a tree used to hang poor
unfortunate souls.
There are of course weaker moments to be found. The final
two tracks, ‘All Those Black Years’ and Scottish’, go beyond mournful and start
to head toward dreary. It’s a shame to have the record finish like this but the
strong moments along the way do stick in your head and will bring you back for
repeated listens. Every track here is well written, both in terms of lyrics and
musical composition with a deep vein of strings and brass adding many layers to
the mix. Alex Gordon’s voice is splendid
as well. Effortless and rich but, most importantly, not perfect. It sums up
everything that Heed The Thunder offer and everything good music should be; full
of passion, spirit and feeling.
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