| CD Review - The Rays - The Rays |
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| CD Album |
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| Review by Katrina Pierce |
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Brayford Beat?
When a band undergoes a line-up change within the first few months of their inception, it usually doesn't bode well for what they have to offer. But one of Lincoln's newest bands, The Rays, contradicts such an assumption
They have just released their self-produced eponymous debut album, accumulated and then lost members of the band, all within ten months. After forming in January 2005 off the back of BBC Radio Lincolnshire's The Mix programme, the five Lincoln lads got together to throw together a 3-track EP. That intended little beaut somehow transmogrified into a full length 11-song work of CD-ness. How? I don't know. But I can tell you that they show great potential judging by the package that landed on my doormat
The album kicks off with the catchy 'Nowhere Left To Run', which starts with gentle acoustic guitars, piano and violins tumbling under front man Andy McEwan's woeful lyrics. All this tender stuff leads up to a motivated and surprisingly sudden chorus containing almost joyous calls of "You got nowhere left to run", a stark declaration of feeling lost but it loses all manic depressive sentiment when it's sung like this
White Dove opens with incessant guitar strums below a strangely beguiling vocal melody courtesy of McEwan's sweet and sincere voice. Next up is 'So Many Things', which appears to be a testament to not being able to say what you truly mean and trying a remedy misunderstanding. This track has some odd harmonies and frustrated riffs thrown in like nervous ticks on the brain.
The intro to 'Just For A Day' is incredibly reminiscent of the acoustic simplicity of Oasis' 'Half The World Away'. Anyone who has ever fallen asleep watching a Royle Family DVD and awoken to the relentless strums of the menu screen will know what this intro sounds like. This track, like its Oasis composed cousin, is also about escaping the doldrums of daily life, only with more upbeat, hopeful lyrics of "If only we could be millionaires/ And maybe spend some time, not go anywhere". The aspirations of being carefree and relaxed may seem a bit clean-cut and slightly twee in parts, but the track is summery and sweet, two things that can't really be criticised in such a simple song. There are elements of Merseybeat influences on here. Jangly guitars and "sha la la la's" shake around, making me think The Rays are aiming to create Lincoln's answer to The Coral. Brayford-beat perhaps?
The abrasive and seemingly stray riffing on 'Get On Up' is reflected by the grating lyrics. McEwan sings "Get on up and let it out/ Won't you tell me what you are all about?" on this funky, likeable track. Track 6, 'Lose My Way', is a sullen, reflective song. The lyrics sound like the words of a melancholy drunk at 4am. The Rays are in a slow and morose mood, opening the track with "Maybe in a little while, I'll come crawling back to you/ Maybe in a little while I'll find the strength to see me through". Sounds like a relationship gone bad to me. There is an impressive guitar solo towards the end, probably courtesy of Loz Farr.
Those tingly Mersey, sorry, Brayford-beat tendencies reappear in 'Free'. Steve Jeffries steps into the solo-writing shoes here with Andy singing his delicate lyrics, complete with reverb-ed vocals over violin strings which literally tug at the heartstrings, pulling at you to join Jeffries mood. The instantly upbeat riffs of 'Camberley Town' lead to warped and bendy chords as well as smiley lines of song.
Two words spring to mind the very second 'Fever' kicks in. 'Golden Touch'. The opening strums are so like Johnny Borrell's ode to Mairead Nash (Queenz of Noize? No? Oh well, Lincoln doesn't have a Barfly, never mind), it takes a few listens to notice any difference. Not a bad thing, it's a riff that buries itself in your head either way so it's irrelevant whether it's from the fair strums of Borrell or McEwan. It's clear that Andy likes the ladies by this track. He describes the intoxicating rush, the endocrine narcotic only induced by the opposite sex. Matthew Ellis' bendy bass work is worth a mention. Plinky, plucked guitars dominate 'Tell Me Why' while the pure and clean lyrics appear to tell of a deceitful lady-friend.
The obvious standout track of this album is the final track, 'Northern Stars'. This is a rich, atmospheric affair. It paints images of dark-blue night skies, studded with wintry silver stars. That was a bit of a poncey analogy wasn't it? But this track is so enveloping that a subtle, less poncey description would not be deserving enough. Drummer James Middleton gets some time off for this track as a beat isn't needed. The closing gate to this album has a slight reassuring lullaby effect.
The only criticism I can fairly argue of this work is that that opening track 'Nowhere Left To Run' is ever so slightly too long. Steve Jeffries production is a tad amateur in parts, but is faithful to his self-proclaimed "strum that and see what happens whilst I stand behind this lead shield" technique. It doesn't really matter though, that's not really what you listen for, especially on a debut. For a band who didn't even exist at the turn of 2005, they have something to be proud of in this CD. Developing a live reputation to back up their album can only do them favours. Let's sincerely hope they adopt Brayford-beat as their own (remember who coined that phrase or I'll demand royalties).
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This page was last updated Monday, 11 January 2010
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