The crooner vocals have been traded in for the romanticisation of Birmingham, putting down the thesaurus of pet names and instead creating a narrative that embodies the sounds of the city in Fat Cat‘s latest single ‘Lost’.
The four-piece have moved from over-sexualised pop vibes to tight alternative rock. The song is a swirling ballad, ear-worming its way into your head, reminiscent of a late Kings of Leon belter; the chord progression through the lead guitar and a punchy chorus that repeats itself neatly cements the track as one to be remembered.
‘Lost’ stands apart from Fat Cat‘s previous releases in this way, it captures a story and the essence of a city they are a part of. ‘Lost’ is the tall, dark, mysterious man standing at the end of the bar, whereas ‘Corner Room, Change in Mind’ and ‘Josie Moon’ is the guy telling you to smile more.
The composition, narrative and overall sound of Fat Cat’s latest single marks an exciting maturing of the band. ‘Lost’ is a slick new offering from Fat Cat, showing they’ve found themselves as a group – stepping up for their growing following, proving they’ve got much more to give.
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It feels necessary for this review to come with a cover letter of sorts. When it comes to Pixies, I’m a diehard. In my eyes, Francis can do no wrong.
Yet, on receiving a copy of new album Beneath the Eyrie, I knew I needed to put my Surfer Rosa loving, Trompe Le Monde abiding ways behind me. So, this is it – welcome, not to a shrine, but to a review.
I’ve never heard anyone say their favourite album by Pixies is Indie Cindy, and if they did I’d hurtle a copy of anything else in their discography at them and declare them criminally insane. What made, and continues to make, Pixies so goddamn great is their unadulterated strangeness, rage and ability to make you sick to your stomach.
In the same way Indie Cindy is good but lacking in the musto-gusto, Beneath the Eyrie just ain’t their best. It’s passive in parts, lacking the otherworldly force you know exists but can’t quite put your finger on, and kind of pussyfoots its way through twelve tracks. For Pixies, a vast chunk of this album is unremarkable; a strong start dwindles away into records that play it safe, occasionally throwing a much needed wild-card in there to grab your attention again as the mind wanders.
Yet there are still some real gems to find on here. Album opener, ‘In the Arms of Mrs. Mark of Cain’, makes for one of the best on the record – setting the tone for a surprisingly consistent forty minute ride of more subdued Pixies material. Standard biblical omens and a strong riff are all they need to get my attention, and in the first few minutes I’m feeling satisfied. Promotional single, ‘On Graveyard Hill’ features our beloved screeches and howls from Francis himself – no doubt as a demonstration that hey, the kid’s still got it and he’s not afraid to let us have it.
We then slip into the mediocre, which makes it even more infuriating when they throw a kicker in the mix with ‘St. Nazaire’. One of the best modern Pixies tracks to date, it feels wasted on an album that for the most part doesn’t deserve to possess such a, for want of a better word, kick-ass track. The musical lull perishes and suddenly there’s fire here; this is exactly what I wanted from the whole album and failed to get from pretty much anything else on it.
Nevertheless, it must be noted that what Beneath the Eyrie lacks in strength it regains in its storytelling ability. It seems to me that a choice has arisen with this record, a choice between weaving fiction and sounding mighty had splayed itself on the table, and for most tracks Pixies have sacrificed the power for the fable. The carefully fashioned imagery of ‘Catfish Kate’ and ‘Silver Bullet’ stand as a reminder of that, crafting complex stories that can sway you to forget what it is they’re missing.
So, do I like it? Of course I do, and so will everyone else. It’s great. It’s fantastic, even. But does it give me the fuck yeah feeling I was gifted with Trompe Le Monde, or even Head Carrier? No.
There’s nothing wrong with this record just being good. With a back catalogue as strong as that of Pixies, there’s no harm in dropping a, let’s say, ‘filler-not-killer’ into the mix. Three years ago, Head Carrier threw us right back to the band at their finest hour; tracks like ‘Baal’s Back’ and ‘Um Chagga Lagga’ quelling all doubts that they’d ripened and gone soft.
Maybe if Beneath the Eyrie wasn’t preceded by such a formidable force of an album I’d be concerned, but instead this feels like the calm after the storm.
‘On Graveyard Hill’ – Pixies
Pixies release Beneath the Eyrie on Friday 13th September, out on Infection/BMG and available through all the usual online outlets. For more on Pixies, including links to online sales, visit www.pixiesmusic.com
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‘Tunes that connect with people have always been the main focus.’ – Grant Nicholas, Feeder
It’s been a pretty wild ride.
With over two decades in the making, Feeder have lived a life long enough to suffer turbulence like you wouldn’t believe; their career tackling the highs and the lows, the riches and the rags. It’s safe to say the Welsh rock stars have been through the wringer, earning them a lifelong place in our hall of fame, even if not in the actual one (yet).
Ups and downs aside, the run-up to the release of their latest album Tallulah has begun, and here at Birmingham Review we wasted no time in pulling frontman Grant Nicholas for a chat.
BR: You have your new record Tallulah coming out on 9th August – what can we expect from the album?
GN: I feel that Tallulah has a bit of a road trip feeling about it in some ways. Positive, nostalgic and generally pretty uplifting, so hopefully it’ll take the listener on an interesting journey. It was a really enjoyable album to make and I’ve had time to live with it over the past few months. It feels fresh but still classic Feeder.
BR: So, you’re dubbing Tallulah as a ‘classic Feeder’ record – what about it makes you feel that way?
GN: Feeder has always been about melodies, dynamics and lyrics that tell a story or moment. I think Tallulah has a lot of those key elements and will tick a few boxes for our diehard fans, as well as the new generation of young fans coming to our shows.
BR: It feels like you’ve heavily focused on creating a narrative with this album, and Feeder are known for their storytelling – is this something you’re conscious of when writing?
GN: I generally write with a very visual image and narrative in my head. This is a massive part of the process and as you get older you experience more about life and it fuels a lot of creative ideas. I guess it gives a bigger musical canvas to work with and touches on new subjects and emotions.
BR: With 25 years in the bag, do you think you’ve matured as a band musically? Has your music become a lot more reflective of your own experiences?
GN: I think we know our strengths and at the end of the day it’s always been about the songs. Tunes that connect with people have always been the main focus. That and the dynamic and honesty of the band live and on record is what makes it Feeder.
BR: You’ve got a handful of festivals lined up for the rest of this year, do you see them as an opportunity to get your music out there to a wider audience, especially with the new record on the way?
GN: Doing festivals is always a great way of gaining new fans for any bands or artists. We’re doing less festivals this year as we have the Tallulah album tour coming up in November. Festivals can be so unpredictable at times as you never really know how it’s going to go until you step out onto stage, but when you have a good one the buzz after is something I never grow tired of experiencing. It’s what keeps being in a live band so exciting.
‘Dirty Habit’ – Feeder
Feeder release their tenth studio album, Tallulah, on Friday 9th August – out via BELIEVE, available through all online and traditional music outlets.
NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.
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Sam Hollis released his debut album, If Ever, Could You Imagine?, earlier this year and isn’t wasting anytime releasing even more music. His new single, ‘Miranda’ – featuring Harry Price, Lewis Pick and Nep, produced by Hollis and Ego Boy – doesn’t disappoint.
‘Miranda’ follows the same new wave/low-fi jazz genre that Hollis so effortlessly pulls off, the chorus effect that dominates the guitar works perfectly to create this atmospheric indie sound. The vocals are so incredibly smooth and soft; Nep and Hollis’ voices work beautifully against one another – a great collaborative sound that fits this song perfectly.
The drum pattern defines the change between verse and chorus, starting with minimalistic electronic percussion then transitioning into a more jazz inspired acoustic beat that complements the style of the guitar.
On his debut album, Hollis bought together people from across the globe to collaborate and create music – Nep featured on the track ‘All That I Want’. It’s good to see that Hollis clearly has a passion for involvement in music; Nep is a young American girl who has only released one original song as of yet, but has featured on three other albums and singles as well as ‘Miranda’. Hollis using his platform to share this girl’s voice represents one of music’s most important achievements – inclusion.
‘Miranda’ is incredibly relaxing whilst also being an interesting listen, something I think is relatively hard to achieve. The lyrics sang in this soft outspoken manner read very intelligently, the song writing telling a story that makes you think and feel – but not too much.
It’s easy to see and hear that Sam Hollis has a crazy amount of passion for music, which he backs up with great talent both in writing and performing.
Sam Hollis releases his latest single, ‘Miranda’, on Friday 2nd August – available through the usual online platforms. For more on Sam Hollis, visit www.soundcloud.com/samhollis-2
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In June 2019, The Cosmics released their self-titled debut EP – a six track eponymous monster of noise rock, twisted indie, a splodge of Mazzy Star and some of the fastest guitar feet in the Midlands. We salute you and your ten toes Mr Boyle (the one standing up).
Celebrating with an out of town gig at Hackney’s The Old Blue Last on the BIG DAY itself, The Cosmics had previously introduced their new material with a launch party for the EP’s lead single, ‘Trust is Blind’, at The Sunflower Lounge back in November 2018.
But never ones to rest of their laurels for too long, The Cosmics laid out a diary chock full of dates across the UK and Europe to promote their EP – bouncing around from Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, London, Belgium and Paris until July this year.
Abi Whistance and To the Local (with Birmingham Review holding the camera case) caught up with The Cosmics the last time they were at the Hare & Hounds, supporting Feels, in June – grabbing a few words with the Birmingham three piece before the headed out on stage. Watch the full interview below.
Interview with The Cosmics @ Hare & Hounds 30.06.19
‘Lost’ is released on Friday 20th September. For more on Fat Cat, visit www.facebook.com/thatfatcatband 
