Another Last Night From Glasgow album launch gig beckons this Friday in Glasgow’s CCA, this time around it is Broken Chanter peddling their wares ably supported by label mates wotjek the bear who released their latest album, heaven by the back door, earlier in 2021. The gig is to promote Broken Chanter’s superb new album, Catastrophe Hits, which came out on all the usual streaming platforms and to download the other week, with vinyl to follow (the current world shortage of vinyl delaying releases…)
Is the new album any good or is it a catastrophe? Of course it’s not a catastrophe, but a selection of ten epic new songs demonstrating David’s knack for writing lyrics that can be thought provoking, sentimentally touching and humorous within one song, Add to that immense tunes, driving beats and melodies that soar, filling the air with captivating harmonies.
Dancing Skeletons
The band’s last single, Dancing Skeletons opens the album with birdsong, giving an immediate feeling of wellbeing and an opening couplet which absolutely reflects what would improve the mind and body of so many – “I need to feel, the air in my lungs, smash my TV, cut off my phone and let go”.
Maybe smashing my TV would be a step too far, after all I need my Netflix binges every now and then, but all joking aside, getting out into nature and letting go of all the shite sounds more than appealing and definitely something I need to do more often. Anyway, enough of me and back to the music. The soundtrack to the lyrics is suitably uplifting as befits the nature of the lyrics, the intensity rising to an exhilarating peak in the refrain. A pretty damned good start.
And the rest of the album doesn’t let you down. Allow Yourself, picks up the baton and runs with it, a wonderfully hypnotic bassline underpinning the driving rhythm, and a lyric advocating self love, but acknowledging it isn’t that straightforward – “nobody said it would be easy to, allow yourself yo feel loved”. Magnificent.
Stirring Melodies
What follows is a combination of all of the above, inspiring lyrics, stirring melodies and alluring harmonies. Addictive driving rhythms is mainly the order of the day, but mixing this up with some more reflective songs, like Filaments and A Sad Display bringing down the pace a bit, without losing any of their power in feeding your soul.
With COP 26 petering out with a pathetic whimper, it feels like appropriate timing for the single Extinction Event Souvenir T Shirt and its provocative lyrics, Pithy lines like “billionaire rocket men got me rootin’ for the vacuum of space” bringing a wry smile, but with a nagging feeling of anger remaining in the back of your head. Wry humour is also used to great effect, positioned alongside affecting tones and lyrics, on Horse Island “the cost of this drink comes with terms and conditions, You’re standing outside smoking in twilight, you left me in a ditch, married to starlight”.
Huge Driving Rhythm
And some of the best is yet to come. As penultimate song Fast Food, Parked Car fades into Rubha Alainn (Beautiful Headland) what reveals itself is one hell of an instrumental to close the album. Minimalistic natural sounds are build on and layered with instrument after instrument reaching a crescendo of crashing drums and cymbals and a huge driving rhythm, before subsequently peeling these layers away again and leaving us as the album began with the soothing sounds of nature and a feeling of wellbeing.
Pre-order your vinyl now and get along to the CCA on Friday if you can…
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