A harsh winter.
'Whatever happened to our rock n roll?' laments the man known professionally as Franics Neve on the latest release, 'Winterbury' from his debut album 'The Second Time We First Met'. The song evolves from a calm opening few chords into a sweeping instrumental master class, detailing the progress, change and ultimate failure of a relationship. The lyrics possess a horrific sadness and melancholy that seems to have its origin in the earliest love songs of fellow troubadour, Bob Dylan.
The downbeat words only gain a further power when placed within the context of sensuous, evocative and euphoric instrumentation (mostly played by Neve himself). The drums are almost metronome-like, the guitar playing is heart-wrenching and vocal delivery is haunting and majestic. The strength of the song is a combination of both lyrics and music; a divine mixture of upbeat and melancholy that add a complex dimension to the track, much like how Morrissey and Johnny Marr would complement each other with their respective contributions to songs.
'Winterbury' is a delicate, divine and intricate song that harbours a poetic and lyrical power that is truly unique. The pain and anguish in the singer's voice is heartbreaking, 'I don't like the way...' is repeated relentlessly to stress the horror and distress of the death of love, forcing the listener to share the pain in their listening experience. An understated and thought-provoking song.