It isn’t often I get to write and review an artist’s 25th album. Nick Salomon’s The Bevis Frond mark this feat with the same continued spirit that has led to this occasion as they release another double album. Contained within are more quality melodic alternative rock – think a London version of Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr -, 60’s psych tunage, impressive guitar solos, and proof there is still plenty to write about for on the nose lyrical depth in a variety of themes.
Along its nineteen song journey many stylistic tones are covered all delivered with Nick’s melancholy vocal tones (fit somehere between J Macis and Robert Wyatt). There are the up-tempo ‘Heat’, ‘God’s Gift’, ‘Jack Immortal’, latter era Kinks vibes on ‘A Mirror’, ‘Focus on Nature’, Nuggets psych garage rock with ‘Empty’. But it’s all lyrically bang up to date as Nick continues detailing modern life – a pending ecological disaster (‘Heat’), fast food rubbish (‘Happy Wings’ – “it’s just some scraps from the slaughterhouse ceiling, diced and coated in fat”), as well as a gig experience ‘Here for the Other One’, post war austerity ‘Leb Off’, and ‘Fred’s Disco’ recalls past-memories and changing times.
There are also the excellent guitar solos that grace many of the songs. They sear and soothe in equal measure. Favourite solos might well be those in ‘Mr Fred’s Disco’ where Nick extracts all the emotion expressed in the song from his guitar. What all this equates to is Focus On Nature is a double album packed with concise, well written and rounded songs, which just makes you wonder why isn’t Nick Salomon and his The Bevis Frond more celebrated and widely known. It is surely is time for them to be championed and Focus On Nature is a great starting point.
