Luke Leighfield
Now I do not know a great deal about the young Mr Leighfield, but as I played the opening track on “Fan the Flames” I was hit by a wave of distinct Britishness. This simplicity of his friendly voice coats you in liberty as piano tinkles delicately in the undergrowth of a lazy morning hangover.
An array of calm instruments tip toe in and out of each track as his conversational like voice comforts any weary soul with a selection of surprisingly profound lyrics. Now Britishness often refers to bands like the Arctics of Little Man Tate whose very British music orbits around their regional dialect, where as here Leighfield’s witty vocals are just drenched in hometown glory and there are no effects of distortion in sight. It’s a different type of English eccentricity.
“If you haven’t got anything to say” is a highlight. The second verse found me laughing my way through his personal musical comedy. “Art school rich kids, daddy can by you a synth” and “But he can’t buy you talent or an 80s revival” depicts the stale myspace, bright coloured, slogan t-shirt scene with accuracy and style.
Leighfield also introduces some jazzy piano and punch drunk trumpet into his album which single handedly revives what has been lost under the modern march of the talent absent new rave moguls who believe that a monotonous beat with a few selected words can be “genius”.
Leighfield proves that he is a different breed. His chirpy simplicity is a breath of fresh air, and to me, it is certainly pop music at its best.