Five-part harmonies highlight this Leeds, UK-based roots rock 'n' roll band, who capture a variety of shades and tones with their Americana-laced debut album, 2012's Blind Sighted Faith. Traces of the Frames, an iconic Irish group that gave the world The Swell Season's Glen Hansard, can be heard in the grand sweep of the title track that also recalls the early ghosts of U2. Produced by John Porter (Ryan Adams) and recorded at Willie Nelson's Austin, Texas studio, the album evokes the idea of Hansard fronting Crosby, Stills and Nash for a collection of tunes that pulse with urgency. "So Beautiful," "Elizabeth" and "Goodnight My City" capture an attractive mix of Celtic grandeur and down home Americana. It's as if the Waterboys and Luka Bloom found their way to California in the early 1970s. The pedal steel guitars of "Dance With Me" add a quiver of pure country music into the group's arsenal of classic rock and folk influences.
- Honor By August
- Frank Hamilton
- Stephen Kellogg