Ant - These Long Dark Country Roads (Acuerela Discos)
5/5
By: Stephen Maughan
You really won't expect this. A new 6 song EP from Anthony Harding, who used to be the drummer in Hefner and now lives in Sweden that completely knocks you out with its bittersweet tenderness, and is the best release of the year so far. Let's pause for a moment there and let me repeat that. Yes, I did say this is the drummer from Hefner. Keep reading.
You may well wonder how anyone associated with a band like Hefner could end up with a mini album that has put all the high profile releases this year to shame. Mr. Harding, perhaps free from the consuming indie scene of London, has seemingly effortlessly put together a collection of gorgeous lo-fi acoustic pop songs, that sparkle with tender spring-like freshness. Harding turns out to have a lullaby dreamy voice, no doubt practiced on his 3 year old son at bedtime. What's on offer here is far removed from Hefner, and it's all the better for it.
Indeed from the catchy opener 'Time I Was Gone' to the dreamy 'Wherever You Go', everything fits perfectly here, and it's refreshing to hear someone who actually understands what a 20 minute EP should consist of. Another 6 songs like this would be too many, but the material here is too rich to release as future B sides. The delicious melodies haunt you throughout the day.
"We left our love asleep for too long and we were never really that strong" sighs Harding on 'Come To The Phone', but in a world where arrogant rock star clones clatter the NME awards, this honest EP gently makes you fall in love with music all over again. I love these surprises in music - who had any idea an Hefner expat had such breathtaking sweet songs in him? My God, whatever next? The drummer from Kula Shaker releasing an artpop triumph?
Artists in this article: Antony & The Johnsons, Ant, Anthony Reynolds
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