The Living Bluesman - Tom Attah
Reviewed by Andrew Sopf
The Living Bluesman from Tom Attah is neither album nor EP. It’s
a testament, a tribute and reminder to where it all began. Back
when there was just a man and all he owned was a guitar and all
he had was the Blues.
I have honestly not enjoyed listening to a record as much as this
one for a long while. There is a certain pure rawness to Tom Attah’s
throbbing take on the blues and he sings it full of soul, as if spitting
the grit from the crossroads of his own meeting with the Devil.
Even when rockin’, The Living Bluesman has a spiritual, sombre
tone that wraps you in a blanket of sweet licks and dusty old
rhythms. Elements of jazz bleed through, creating a cool ambiance
and there are moments of pure joy as effortless funk undertones
bounce into play - breathing even more character and depth into
the tracks. This record deserves a place in your music collection,
your soul and your life.
Hundred Dollar Cigar - Graffitnik
Reviewed by George Quinn
Having heard quite a lot of material from Hundred Dollar Cigar
over the last couple of years I thought I knew what to expect of
their latest release, Graffitnik. I wasn’t quite right.
Luke Womersley’s vocal talents are clear from the very first line
of the first song ‘Preachers Son’, and continue to be excellent
throughout the release. The clean qualities of the recording
add to this significantly - time has been spent on this record,
indeed the musical performances of all the members are of a high
standard.
The first song that stands out is ‘The Appropriate Lie’. The tune has
a pop feel but remains a good lesson in storytelling songwriting.
This pop feel is a recurring factor on the album. Although this is
not a bad thing, it was a little surprising as in the past they have
fallen more on the blues/rock side of things and I expected a little
more rawness. Saying that, ‘Why Do You’ shows that the band still
have their roots in blues and the song really gives Luke a chance
to show how good a guitarist he is. A highlight of the album is
‘Clouds’, which is the heaviest track and is like something from an
early Manic Street Preachers album. The final song ‘Stage Fright’
starts off subdued before rising into a powerful chorus and would
feel at home next to a typical Jeff Buckley song,
The only criticism I have is that I wanted there to be more raw-
sounding blues guitars on the record - it would have helped the
album to ‘let go’ just that little bit more. I also thought that the
rest of the band could have helped out with the backing singing
- the album relies a lot on the vocals and a few harmonies would
have given an extra edge.
With all that in mind Graffitnik is a well recorded, well produced
album with a number of quality songs on it. I enjoyed listening to
it and will be interested to see where it takes the band over the
coming months.
TFT - That Fucking Tank
Reviewed by Joe Ralph
Now, I’m not going to lie to you, this review is not one of total
unbias. In fact, in all honesty, this writer has been a Tank fan-boy
since the band’s early days during the mid-to–late naughties, a fine
era for Bradford music in general and one in which this outstanding
outfit reigned supreme.
The bitter cold of “Broken Britain” and its perpetual warnings of
disaster suddenly seem like the distant screechings of that last
mentalist you saw in Centenary Square, as ‘TFT’, Tank’s third
album soars high above, past the grim and towards the light. It is
an interesting turn of sound from a band that landed like a new-
born alien, strange and twisted, in the laps of anyone who dared
to listen to their obscure yet intoxicating blend of baritone boom.
They are an important band for our city, and ever-inspiring in their
complete lack of any attempt to “fit in” with any kind of musical
“scene”. They really do not give a fuck, as their eye-opening name
suggests and I just can’t help but smile.
‘TFT’, released on local label The Obscene Baby Auction, is a more
grounded affair than the band’s previous offering ‘Tankology’ in
2009, favouring a more modest and dare I say, mature sound that
finds peace with minimalist groove and chord progression. It’s
opening and title-track is a fine example of this, tight and catchy.
The album really starts to open up as we reach the half way point
with ‘NWONWOBHM’, as much like their live set, the intensity
builds towards crescendo as the momentous waas of ‘Threads’ fill
the air, only to come down beautifully, with an acoustic offering to
warm the heart of any angered soul.
Another great album, from a truly brilliant band, I wish I had time
to say more. Nice one lads.
