Hallelujah! The Bolton Boys are back to release their second long player to their growing fanbase. They have been cooking up some very tasty flavours in their Shed over the last year and it arrives on cd and vinyl wrapped with The Shed Project’s own print media project delivering the scoops via Editor in Chief Roy Fletcher.
The album title/headline comes from a slogan painted on a motorway bridge near Manchester warning that governments use whatever boogeymen they can to scare people and then offer themselves as the saviours to retain control. Yes it’s political. But in the thirteenth year of a zombie Tory government on the take and desperately clinging to power,whilst the country literally crumbles, how could it not be?
Side A begins with a radio tuning betweeen stations - each of them playing the early hits taken from The Shed Project's debut (The Curious Mind Of The Common Man - Album Review). A killer juggernault-size riff cuts through the static and we're off! If You Know You Know was released as a single back in July 2022 only a few months after their debut album dropped. The sound is massive and despite the wall of sound guitars, the vocals and piano shine through. Shout out to drummer, Shane, who plays with precision and flair - it's both tight and loose if you know what I mean? It’s a strong opening with a jumbo dollop of Second Coming vibes and the follow up Easy doesn't let up the pace and is a short song with pounding beats and guitars turned up to eleven.
The next two songs tackle the subject of people putting on a show whilst hiding their internal thoughts and the reality of their daily lives. Crowdpleaser is about a girl putting on a public face which masks her true feelings. Weekend Millionaire is a character tale of a weekend warrior living it up and flashing the cash in the pub and then scraping through the rest of the week totally skint. It feels like a lost 60's track as Roy channels his inner Ray Davies.
Excuses closes the first half with acoustic jangle as Roy laments as a friend slides deeper into a drug hell and offers suggestions to help them turn their life around. This is a recurring theme on the album.
Ghost Town opens with a crashing of glass and an upbeat jangling riff favoured by Afflecks Palace. Roy despairs at the decline of his hometown and just a glimmer of optimism that it might be reversed. The music becomes a hypnotic kaleidoscope of sound - are they still guitars or are we listening to sirens? Forty years after The Specials used the same song title it is still relevant in many parts of the country.
Lower Than A Snake is a high tempo reggae song with some top imagery in the lyrics. The middle part slows the pace down and allows some guitar solos and rattlesnake noises before ramping up to a frantic finish. The lying piece of scum who inspired this song is not named, but it appears to be based on unscrupulous fake character(s) in the independent music scene. You know the type - one who promises much and delivers too little, too late. Do it yourself is the message that The Sheds have learned.
The penultimate track is called Naughty and it's a mind blowing joyous banger of the first order. It honestly sounds like Happy Mondays remixed by The Chemical Brothers. The bass is fierce on this one and the the Madchester baggy and trance vibes are spot on. It even ends with a sly wink to Blue Monday. Roy's in full voice on this one and it's another anti-drugs song for old ravers to get off their tits to. It's also my new favourite song!
Side B closes with the Beatlesque I’ve Got The Blues. The first part is dominated by a heavy piano accompanied by synthesied strings. The drums kick in during the second minute and guitar licks reminescent of Champaign Supernova join them. They've thrown the kitchen sink at this ending and it's all stuck. It contains some of Roy's finest lyrics and it is nothing less than a modern Britpop anthem. There's not many albums with a better Side B.
The Shed Project have been improving with every release over the last three years. The band have been doing it their way and delivered an emotional rollercoaster with well crafted songs, bangers galore, killer guitars, intricate drumming and moody atmospherics. Ignore them at your peril and catch 'em if you can!
Album release date: 24/11/23
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Merch and gig news from: The Shed Project – One Love Records
Digital downloads: Music | The Shed Project (bandcamp.com)
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