Every year my family go on a road trip. We’ve been holidaying in the UK for the last few years and tend to drive to where we are staying. We like to get out and about, and see the place we are staying in. Later this month we are off to Manchester and Liverpool ... and I cannot wait.
One ritual we have, as a family, is to get a CD from a charityshop and blast it during the trip. Previous CDs have included The Proclaimers and Duran Duran ... we also had a disco compilation for a trip to Fort William. The Circus by Take That, which wasn't from a charityshop, was also a fun sing-a-long album for a journey to Yorkshire.
I like The Circus’ classic rock vibe. It has bluesy, easy listening sound that has a broad appeal ... it's not too heavy and tends to have a sing-a-long vibe that helps with these long car journeys.
Other albums that come to mind that fit this criteria include “Free the Bees” by The Bees, the self-titled album by Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Far” by Regina Spektor, and the seminal “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys (which soundtracked a visit to Paris and her surrounding area a few years back).
I now have another album to add to this collection - “if we never came down” by mylittlebrother - self-released in April. I have a feeling this will be on the stereo when we visit Manchester & Liverpool (along with The Beatles, of course).
With “if we never came down”, mylittlebrother has captured the essence of good-time, sing-a-long, easy listening rock. It is a jaunty and delightfully upbeat journey with gentle acoustic moments such as the poignant “over the hill” and "paintwork" interspersed to provide additional colour.
Highlights include “my hypocritical friend” with it’s classic guitar vibe and immersive storytelling that draws you in, eventually leaving you wanting ... in a good way. The track has a reprise that is truly fab with really good vocal harmonies. I also loved “ if we never came down” with it’s fuzzy guitar and a chorus that would make The Bees proud ... or the instrumental “Slow Dance” that has a great Beach Boys vibe to it.
All in, I found “if we never came down” by mylittlebrother to be an utter delight. Yes it is not my usual fare but that makes it all the more special ... think of it as ginger to cleanse my palate from all the ambient, neo-classical and post-rock soundscapes I consume.
I guess the test will be when I introduce this album to my family on our upcoming road trip. I have a good feeling it will be elevated to truly ’classic’ status then.
Highly recommended. Have a listen below and, if you can, please support mylittlebrother by buying the album:
No comments:
Post a Comment