Manchester/London four-piece just about elude the growing cries of ‘shoegazers’ on debut album, Engineers. True, fans of The Charlatans and Stone Roses are likely to shuffle excitedly back and forth to the familiar stoner strains of tracks like ‘Thrasher’, ‘Waved On’ and the sickeningly fine single ‘Forgiveness’ but this 11 track collection of sepia lit melancholy traverses a far more progressive path. In fact, for every nod in the direction of their shoes there’s a gesture toward folks as weary and nebulous as The Beta Band, Verve and Spiritualized: the Gregorian choral expanse of ‘Home’ is delicately underpinned by layers of quietly murmuring strings, and the luxurious, grand percussion that characterised ‘Urban Hymns’ is surprisingly back in fashion.
Twinkling arpeggio guitars aplenty, splashing cymbals, shimmering protracted harmonies – anyone would think you’d stumbled into a church of stoner heathens – but although the songs risk running into each other on occasions – often as one sumptuous cloggy mass – the whispering Bob Harris approach to Simon Phipp’s vocals and the gossamer hymnal quality yield no small degree of magic. And if you like your indie mature then there’s few more serious and intense than this little lot.
Nebulous, misty silliness – but charming all the same.