From the ashes of the much loved
Aereogramme came The Unwinding Hours, a project started with no clear
intentions by band mates Craig Beaton and Iain Cook. They started recording
together around 2009 and produced a self-titled album the following year.
Opinions were split as to whether this was indeed a new beginning or merely a
continuation of the Aereogramme sound under a different banner. In my mind it
was definitely a reinvention, and on Afterlives
there’s further evolution. Where The
Unwinding Hours was perhaps downtempo and often restrained, Afterlives is anything but.
Opener Breaks is upbeat, optimistic, affirmative and a statement of intent
with big choruses, big guitar sounds and a driving tempo provided by Iain Cook
and fellow bandmate Johnny Scott’s rhythm section. Then I’ve Loved You For So Long kicks in and suddenly I realise what it
is about The Unwinding Hours that has changed on this album. It almost sounds
like they’ve looked up. There are hints of a somewhat shoegaze sound on the
album in the guitar distortion and layered vocals, but without the gazing at
the shoes. Craig’s strong yet fragile sounding vocals perfectly complement this
sound. The Right to Know reins things
in a little lyrically and showcases something that’s hard not to notice about Afterlives; synths. Obviously, The
Unwinding Hours have utilised synths before but there’s definitely an increase
on Afterlives. It helps flesh out
songs that would be too understated and maybe too close to some of the material
that featured on their debut. Yet lyrically there’s more of a sense of certainty
about their intentions as Craig sings "Don’t count me out just yet / I won’t
leave this beauty to the idiots". Wayward,
the first single from the album, is definitely one of the poppier tracks on the
album, and although it's upbeat it remains anchored by those haunting vocals and
the driving rhythm which threatens to break into something grandiose without
ever going there. Say My Name is
another track that reins things back in and verges into solemn territory more
reminiscent of the first album until the guitars come back, and all of a sudden
there’s a ray of light even on this track and it’s a theme reflected in the
lyrics: "With each passing on the stars / light draws near." It’s a track which
continues to grow and grow with wonderful shimmering guitar sounds and layered
angelic vocals.
By the time you get to the final
track, Day by Day, you realise that
the only real negative about Afterlives
is that it’s over far too quickly. It isn’t a short album by any means, but it
still only feels like a glimpse of what The Unwinding Hours are capable of. I
felt like this with the first album as well, and I am a big fan of that record.
Afterlives seems like a big step up
to me, and the fact that Craig and Iain have been writing songs together for
fourteen years means that the strength of songwriting on show here should come
as no surprise.
Afterlives by The Unwinding Hours is out now via Chemikal Underground.
LD
No comments:
Post a Comment