It seems to have fallen to me recently (this may be an age issue) to be the one who reviews albums from bands who have been around for donkeys but not produced anything in ages. So, when the new album by late 80’s Indie heroes The Wedding Present dropped through the office mailbox it inevitably made its way on to my desk.
This is the ‘Weddoes’ first proper outing since 2005’s ‘Take Fountain’, which in itself was their first new material in nearly 10 years, and whilst most of the old ingredients are there, David Gedge’s idiosyncratic voice, the jangly guitars and pounding rhythm section but what seems to be missing is any of the fire that made this band so urgent and insistent in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
For ‘El Ray’ the band have returned to scene of one of their early triumphs, the Steve Albini studio that produced 1991’s ‘Seamonsters’. Whether this was an act of inspiration or desperation I’m not sure, but the desk legend provides a dense background over which Gedge spins his stories of heartbreak and loss. However, even the wizardry of Mr Albini can not inject this set with any of the trademark energy that was once The Wedding Present’s stock in trade.
There are a few moments when the pace lifts above the sedentary, ‘Palisades’ and the wonderfully acerbic ‘Model, Actress, Whatever’, but on the whole it’s a resolutely downbeat collection.
Lyrically this record matches the standards set on the band’s early output, however it’s musically that it appears that the fire has gone out. As with the new James album, this is one that will excite the fan club member, but won’t do much to win over a new audience.
Top Tracks: ‘Palisades’, ‘Model, Actress, Whatever’, ‘Boo Boo’.
Released 26/05/08 on Pinnacle
