Album from Britpop fan.
The press release claims this album is McCulloch's debut, yet a swift search of this very website produces a review of an album called 'Thoughts Alone' reviewed in 2005. Regardless of the press release and its possible inaccuracies 'Escaping Times' gets off to a reasonable start by opening with last year's download single 'Something Abuse'. McCulloch's voice immediately sounds heavily influenced by Morrissey, and the sound is seeped in nostalgia for the Britpop era. 'Barbican Street' is a more memorable song than the opener; its upbeat exuberance ensures it is catchy and would have been a certifiable hit in the mid-90s.
'Out of My Skin' is an upbeat acoustic song. Despite lyrics that hint at more miserable undertones, this song never progresses beyond its most superficial level, a song about an encounter with a girl. 'Doing One's Bit' is a rather irritating slice of northern swagger, it is here that McCulloch's voice sounds more accented than previously, making his Bolton roots more apparent.
Another single 'Golden Boy' breaks things up around the halfway point with a brusque, jangling song. There appears to be no real depth but the experience, while it lasts is an enjoyable one. Things take on a more serious note with 'Infernal Paradise', a song that screams out its comparisons to The Verve immediately. As it happens they have reformed recently so perhaps Rob McCulloch would be a good choice as a support act? 'Cinnamon Sticks' begins as a standard ballad type affair before incorporating tinges of Ska before retreating into safer indie fare.
I think its unlikely that Rob McCulloch will manage to gain much popularity in 2007 when his music would have been much more suited for 1997. There is nothing awful here, just a huge sense that all of this has been done before.