Clayhill - 'Small Circle' (Eat Sleep)
4/5
By: Kevin Molloy
The moment this LP finds your ears your mind instantly travels back to the kind of baggy Mancunian sounds that provoke exclamations of, 'Hark, this dancing man has no bones!' Remember those (halcyon?) days? But do not be fooled or off-put by these grimy and loose settings, for something glorious dwells within.
Upon the first listen you realise that there's a nagging beauty that could drift by if you're not careful. But it's only upon the third that you suddenly find yourself entranced, ensconced, enraptured. Not understanding what on earth it's all about is a big part of this fascination. You read into these songs as you wish, and they reward in equal measure. The vocal has something inherently nineties about it... but the nasal slant never becomes whiney, as we were oft subjected to in the Britpop heyday... instead it's heartfelt and soaring, more Ashcroft than Gallagher. The Verve, indeed, receive a nod in the title of standout track and single 'Northern Soul'.
Beneath that vocal runs a subtly constructed orchestra of sounds. Electronic beeps and looped drums blend with more conventional pianos, six-strings and brass. It would be an untruth to say this was like nothing you've heard before, but the sound is truly their own. Not all bands can or should innovate, thus herein lies a perfection of melancholy pensiveness, of optimistic idealism and cryptic storytelling. 'Grasscutter' portrays a pastoral contentment ('I am a King in my own field... how do I feel? I feel like me.'). And whilst 'Afterlight''s glimmer of hope is past and gone, we bask in the waves of melancholy that sue forth ('Today's darkest cloud was yesterday's light').
There's an odd intermingling of genres throughout the LP. There's a heavy folk influence, certainly encompassing Dylan in 'Rushes Of Blonde', but the drums, keys, loops and samples point towards a much more informed indie circuit. On top of these there's something classic in the songwriting; the brass parts don't blare from your speakers, they inform the song subversively, and the songs are perfectly shaped; in fact, they're little, like small circles. Try to analyse why the structure's so great and you're screwed, cos, well... it's just perfect; you can't take it apart in building blocks.
Everything about this album, no matter what the pace, seems laidback. Clayhill seem to work upon their own terms, and no-one else's. If you don't pay them enough attention, you won't get them, but it's almost as if that's the way they intended affairs. The hooks are sunk deep within the songs and well-hidden - you have to know they're there and just keep on swimming deeper. But hold your breath long enough in this whirlpool of influences, sounds and melodies and we'll guarantee the hook will find you, and in a perfect moment of fluidity you'll find yourself ensnared.
Artists in this article: Clayhill
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