The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir: I like almost all of it so much.
Most of The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir’s new album … and the Horse You Rode In On, is a wonderfully hilarious tribute to the 80’s British post-punk scene. The first eight tracks had me laughing, rocking-out and writing a fabulous review in my head. If you love The Cure and The Clash (and who doesn’t?), you will totally dig where this album is headed. Songs like “One Night Stand,” could have come directly from London Calling. Scotland’s lead singer Elia Einhorn croons with the same, dark, drippy, painful style of Robert Smith, but the lyrics are worlds away. They are not complicated or deep, just blunt, honest immature and funny. Lyrics like, “I hope that you catch syphilis and die alone” and “Thoughts of him on top, then you on top refuse stop,” make you laugh, especially when they are sung so beautifully with throaty soul, coming straight from the gut. However, all of a sudden the album takes a strange turn.
The track. “Sixteen Is To Young,” is a beautiful “slow song” sung by Mary Ralph with a perfectly pretty voice. You are forced to take it seriously. I really enjoyed the track. I found the unexpected change in sound and tone refreshing and imagined that we would return to the punkier sound that had come before. But the next song was very similar, a duet this time. In fact the next three tracks also veered off the original path that I had been so looking forward to traveling. Now don’t start angrily commenting yet. I am all for variety on an album. The more a band can do, the more moods and emotions it can pull from you the better. But you can’t deny that a huge part of creating a successful album is taking all the wonderful sounds you have created and working them into a cohesive piece. Take the above mentioned London Calling; that is an epic album. It combines, rock, pop, blues, punk and even reggae. The difference is you never forget that you are listening to The Clash. It’s a story. You cant wait to hear what happens next. I would have enjoyed every single song on …and the Horse You Rode In On, had they been on different albums.
…and the Horse You Rode In On, regains its composure in the last three songs. I liked the beginning and end so much that I can forgive the mushy center. It is worth the trip. However, a truly great album should never force you to take the good with the bad.
**** The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir were involved in a serious car accident on September 24th on their way to play a show. We wish them a full recovery and hope that they are able to get back to doing what they do. For more information on the accident and what you can do to help click here.