Upon entering the world that English pop quartet Spygenius have created on their new album Man On The Sea it's OK to exclaim "that it's bigger on the inside". And since it disguised a "normal" double album it is pretty damn big at first glance as well. There are drinking songs, off-kilter lullabies, college rock tunes, vaudevillian attraction sounds, Kurt Weill-inspired rhythms, and US west Coast harmonies. This is a record that has more well-executed ideas on it than most bands can come up with over the course of their entire career.
With a short blast of the French national anthem the Marseillaise (no bonus points for guessing why they did that) they are off with Another True Story, setting the tone for a musical rollercoaster ride and wistful storytelling. They have a pint at Cafe Emery Hill, go to the rescue in Man Overboard and take part in a sad late night singalong session during Midnight Bandola.
Man On The Sea might be their magnum opus, but as long as the band's songwriter Peter Watts huge stack of songs is as big as it now, the band can keep going for many more years. Old school quality never goes out of style.
Spygenius:
Peter Watts: vocals, guitar
Ruth Rogers: bass
Matt Byrne: keyboards
Alan Cannings: drums
Man On The Sea is released via Big Stir Records (CD, vinyl). Release date: July 10.
Tracks:- Another True Story
- Albion
- If You Go A-Roving
- Salaud Days
- Tomorrowland
- Cafe Emery Hill
- Dolphinarium 1986
- New Street
- Man Overboard
- Green Eyed Monster
- In A Garden
- Don't Blame It On Your Mother
- Midnight Bandola
- Spite
- Watch Your Back
- Windy
- Remember Me When I Was Good
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