An itch that you can't help but scratch.
Way back in July last year I received a demo from these Yorkshire tykes, featuring a small selection of tracks that were due to feature on this then forthcoming album. I was blown away. For such a newly founded band (they only released their debut EP 'The Boy Cried Wolf' in 2003) to show such cohesiveness and comprehensive musicianship was astonishing, and to round it all off with a firm grasp of their own individual sound was little short of a miracle. There is, it's fair to say, more than a little riding on this one.
They certainly get full marks for the incredibly witty and original title, but while the home-made artwork shows effort, perhaps employing a professional might be a good idea next time round. Now for the important test. The surprising electronic intro to 'Table Turned' gets me holding my breath – have they tried to be too adventurous and broken that winning formula? It's a nervous 27 seconds before the deliciously jangly guitars kick in and I can exhale – crisis over.
It's albums like this that remind you why you like music in the first place – it's life affirming. Itch still sound a LOT like tongue-twisting scene heroes And None Of Them Knew They Were Robots (who are also from Leeds), but that is no bad thing. Guitars sparkle and shimmer like dying stars, finding their perfect partner in Mike Milner's fragile vocals, with both threatening to give way under the strain of the intense emotion that splinters from every heartfelt song. It's all about thoughtfully arranged intricacies, that well up inside you before gently collapsing in on themselves and starting all over again, a destructive yet oddly soothing process. One of the things that make this album so successful is the level of restraint employed in it's formation – it always sounds like it's balancing precariously on the edge of oblivion, threatening with an explosion that never comes.
The only minor complaint that I would level is at demo-track 'Burning Bridges' (the then 'I've Burnt All My Bridges'), which sounds like it has been re-recorded as I'm sure I didn’t remember it being so overly lavished with reverb. Still, that's like Natalie Portman having something stuck in her teeth – you'd be willing to let it slide.
I'm glad to announce that Itch have recreated every bit of the promise they displayed with their demo, and are now a unit more than equipped to fill the void in the 'stuttering, start-stop' market left by the departure of ANOTKTWR. They’ve created a fine album; 'Well, Well, Well...' is a stunner from start to finish, and I get the feeling that this will be taking sole control of my hi-fi for the considerable future.