SELF HELP GROUP - DEAD STARS
2015 Union Music Store
As with their debut, 'Not waving, but drowning' this new recording by the Self Help Group consists of some tremendous songs that were it not for the sublime harmonies, would ensure 'lyrically driven' was an appropriate description. It is often found in albums that are signposted by the harmonies that they have very little to say lyrically, but Mark Bruce, the male voice you can hear on this beautifully recorded disc, is also a talented, often poetic, lyricist. Of course the first impression that is created is by those sublime three part harmonies. I've seen them compared (sometimes by me!) to many of the bands who built their name on their harmonic expertise, such as C, S, N and sometimes Y, but whilst being a fan, their harmonies could sometimes sound too polished and perfect. That is not to say the Self Help Groups harmonies are not up to scratch. They really are tremendous but what gets my vote is the fact that there is a slight edginess to the harmonies, probably caused by the fact that they are provided by two women and one man, rather than just one biological strain!
Whilst several people have mentioned to me that this is not 'country music,' there are certainly elements of it in those vocals and in some of the instrumentation. Much of the early country or hillbilly music relied on harmonies (Carter family for one) and whilst the Self Help Group are a million miles from the Carters I would argue that perhaps they are not linked directly to the tap root they could easily be a distant off shoot and there is certainly a strong folksiness in much of what this band does! Anyway, enough of the is or isn't it argument, it is enough to say that this is a tremendous album that has links, however tenuous, to many of the generic strands that have been written about on this website.
When analyzing the wash of sound that makes up the album it should be noted that this doesn't include an overload of instruments as some albums do. They rely heavily on what is contained within the excellent six piece band and that heavy wash is mainly down to the vocals that can range from smooth and sublime to an equally appealing slight edginess that avoids any saminess, something that is highly unusual for an album of this nature. Their own description of their sound refers to indie, folk and Americana, something I certainly couldn't argue with.
The band consists of Mark Bruce on vocals, guitars, banjo and keyboards, Clara Wood-Keeley and Sarah Natalie Wood, both on vocals and xylophone, Ian Bliszczak on bass and Paddy Keeley on guitar with Jamie Fewings on drums. The album is beautifully produced by Jamie Freeman, co-owner of the Union Music Store and record label, lead singer and songwriter with the excellent 'Jamie Freeman Agreement,' and on several tracks on this album, drummer! It is well worth mentioning Jamie's superb production skills because not only is this a beautifully recorded album, something that is difficult with music of this complexity, but the sound is beautifully clean and clear with plenty of separation in the vocals and instrumentation. Too often on albums where the sound is of necessity dense, there is a muddiness but certainly not on this recording. Through my speakers the sound is excellent but the bonus is that through decent headphones these beautifully written and performed songs take on even more life, often to such a degree that the listener gradually forgets the beautiful vocals and concentrates on the lyrical twists and turns.
I think some of what gives the album its 'edge' is the various ways that the percussion is set up, used and added to as well as the variety of guitar sounds that are encouraged by the lovely flow of the vocals. This allows the instrumentation, which is never overwhelming, to none the less change tempos and melodic elements that, were there just one vocalist would clash, but in this case it brings an unusual diversity and 'edge' to the songs. Many artists would happily settle for three part harmonies and instrumentation that just followed the melody thus putting them firmly into the middle of the road wallpaper music bracket but the Self Help Group are much more experimental and bring a greater depth to their music, as well as lyrics, than just about any other band whose sound is rooted in their harmonies.
The album opens with Myrtle May, a song that is dominated by the exquisite harmonies but one on which there is a lovely separation of the three vocalists and an instrumentation that gives sympathetic support to a heartrendingly sad tale. Vocally this song sets the scene for what is to follow but not in terms of the lyrical content or the variety brought about by the emotional ups and downs. Luigi's Waltz starts with a lovely acoustic guitar sound before the harmonies come in on a song whose arrangement has a strong folksiness and an 'ear worm' melody, led by an excellent and unusual percussive blend. Eddie's House is another excellent song that is driven by a powerful bass and drum sound with lovely chiming guitars and those always sublime harmonies. This is all bound together by a nice, edgy guitar solo on a story that whilst true, has a humorous edge and a change of tempo and atmosphere that brings a nice element of diversity to the album. Quintland has an unusual arrangement on which the vocals and instruments flow together in a lovely wash but then gradually change to take on a different structure on a story that has a harrowing subject matter.
Ultimately, what most people will take most note of is the vocals and I don't blame them for that, they are often sublime, but by the same token it is a shame because Mark Bruce's writing is not only excellent but even on the few songs with elements that we all recognize he has a completely different take on life's ups and downs and when it comes right down to observational songs he is just about peerless. Add to this some unusual arrangements and a wider sound base than that on their previous excellent recording and this album is a genuine step up for a band that whilst they may have elements they share with a few others, are in actual fact inhabiting a genre of one!
http://www.theselfhelpgroup.com/
As with their debut, 'Not waving, but drowning' this new recording by the Self Help Group consists of some tremendous songs that were it not for the sublime harmonies, would ensure 'lyrically driven' was an appropriate description. It is often found in albums that are signposted by the harmonies that they have very little to say lyrically, but Mark Bruce, the male voice you can hear on this beautifully recorded disc, is also a talented, often poetic, lyricist. Of course the first impression that is created is by those sublime three part harmonies. I've seen them compared (sometimes by me!) to many of the bands who built their name on their harmonic expertise, such as C, S, N and sometimes Y, but whilst being a fan, their harmonies could sometimes sound too polished and perfect. That is not to say the Self Help Groups harmonies are not up to scratch. They really are tremendous but what gets my vote is the fact that there is a slight edginess to the harmonies, probably caused by the fact that they are provided by two women and one man, rather than just one biological strain!
Whilst several people have mentioned to me that this is not 'country music,' there are certainly elements of it in those vocals and in some of the instrumentation. Much of the early country or hillbilly music relied on harmonies (Carter family for one) and whilst the Self Help Group are a million miles from the Carters I would argue that perhaps they are not linked directly to the tap root they could easily be a distant off shoot and there is certainly a strong folksiness in much of what this band does! Anyway, enough of the is or isn't it argument, it is enough to say that this is a tremendous album that has links, however tenuous, to many of the generic strands that have been written about on this website.
When analyzing the wash of sound that makes up the album it should be noted that this doesn't include an overload of instruments as some albums do. They rely heavily on what is contained within the excellent six piece band and that heavy wash is mainly down to the vocals that can range from smooth and sublime to an equally appealing slight edginess that avoids any saminess, something that is highly unusual for an album of this nature. Their own description of their sound refers to indie, folk and Americana, something I certainly couldn't argue with.
The band consists of Mark Bruce on vocals, guitars, banjo and keyboards, Clara Wood-Keeley and Sarah Natalie Wood, both on vocals and xylophone, Ian Bliszczak on bass and Paddy Keeley on guitar with Jamie Fewings on drums. The album is beautifully produced by Jamie Freeman, co-owner of the Union Music Store and record label, lead singer and songwriter with the excellent 'Jamie Freeman Agreement,' and on several tracks on this album, drummer! It is well worth mentioning Jamie's superb production skills because not only is this a beautifully recorded album, something that is difficult with music of this complexity, but the sound is beautifully clean and clear with plenty of separation in the vocals and instrumentation. Too often on albums where the sound is of necessity dense, there is a muddiness but certainly not on this recording. Through my speakers the sound is excellent but the bonus is that through decent headphones these beautifully written and performed songs take on even more life, often to such a degree that the listener gradually forgets the beautiful vocals and concentrates on the lyrical twists and turns.
I think some of what gives the album its 'edge' is the various ways that the percussion is set up, used and added to as well as the variety of guitar sounds that are encouraged by the lovely flow of the vocals. This allows the instrumentation, which is never overwhelming, to none the less change tempos and melodic elements that, were there just one vocalist would clash, but in this case it brings an unusual diversity and 'edge' to the songs. Many artists would happily settle for three part harmonies and instrumentation that just followed the melody thus putting them firmly into the middle of the road wallpaper music bracket but the Self Help Group are much more experimental and bring a greater depth to their music, as well as lyrics, than just about any other band whose sound is rooted in their harmonies.
The album opens with Myrtle May, a song that is dominated by the exquisite harmonies but one on which there is a lovely separation of the three vocalists and an instrumentation that gives sympathetic support to a heartrendingly sad tale. Vocally this song sets the scene for what is to follow but not in terms of the lyrical content or the variety brought about by the emotional ups and downs. Luigi's Waltz starts with a lovely acoustic guitar sound before the harmonies come in on a song whose arrangement has a strong folksiness and an 'ear worm' melody, led by an excellent and unusual percussive blend. Eddie's House is another excellent song that is driven by a powerful bass and drum sound with lovely chiming guitars and those always sublime harmonies. This is all bound together by a nice, edgy guitar solo on a story that whilst true, has a humorous edge and a change of tempo and atmosphere that brings a nice element of diversity to the album. Quintland has an unusual arrangement on which the vocals and instruments flow together in a lovely wash but then gradually change to take on a different structure on a story that has a harrowing subject matter.
Ultimately, what most people will take most note of is the vocals and I don't blame them for that, they are often sublime, but by the same token it is a shame because Mark Bruce's writing is not only excellent but even on the few songs with elements that we all recognize he has a completely different take on life's ups and downs and when it comes right down to observational songs he is just about peerless. Add to this some unusual arrangements and a wider sound base than that on their previous excellent recording and this album is a genuine step up for a band that whilst they may have elements they share with a few others, are in actual fact inhabiting a genre of one!
http://www.theselfhelpgroup.com/