The Greenhornes - "****"
- Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
This first batch of all new material from The Greenhornes since 2005's East Grand Blues EP finds the band adopting, for the most part, a sound akin to late 1960's acts such as The Attack or more modern purveyors of a mod sound like The Embrooks. A bit of a departure then from the rawer garage and soul inflected sound of their earlier years but none the worse for that.
'Saying Goodbye' kicks things off sounding rather like Pandemonium's 'No Presents For Me' to pleasing effect. A soulful vibe comes through on organ-backed stomper 'Better Off Without It' - it's one to inspire that first dance with the object of your desire. Proceedings slow down and get a bit psychedelic on 'Cave Drawings', which unfortunately seems to just run out of steam.
Track six, 'Mr Sparrow', rises towards the anthemic heights reached by The Rolling Stones on 'Angie' but again falls foul of finishing too soon. Much more satisfying are the simple thumper 'Need Your Love' and the heavy psych of 'Left The World Behind', the latter also being a great example of the good deployment of backing vocals on many of the dozen songs on the album. Vocal harmonies are another strong point of the release.
'Go Tell Henry' stays in psychedelic territory before 'Jacob's Ladder' introduces a touch of the carnival in it's jauntier moments. Like a number of other tracks here this will have you trying to work out what song from an earlier time it reminds you of, especially that guitar sound employed in the solo passages. 'Get Me Out Of Here' is a more straightforward rocker of a track, a bit like later period Kinks (and when was the last time you heard someone sing or even say they were "having a gas"?). Things then slow right down and go a tad Flying Burrito Brothers on final song 'Hard To Find'.
Overall, this is a top notch return to form for the trio after five years of other bits and pieces and a good bet for enjoyable live shows on the upcoming six date tour of the UK.
