Glastonbury Comes Early
It may only be February, the wind may be howling and a layer of frosty ice may cover the ground each morning in the hope of making you fall flat on your backside like a z list celebrity on a TV skating show but just put one album into your cd player and suddenly Glastonbury has arrived. Coming complete with hazy sunshine, the drop of rain and a carefree mind liberating ethic, The High Wire’s debut album, ‘Ahead Of The Rain’ is sheer escapism that sprinkles a sunshine clothed carefree attitude with every beat.
Gently easing their way into your subconscious, The High wire unfold gracefully a relaxing dose of calming harmonies, stress free instrumental and hassle free pop that soars and winds leisurely throughout each track. Subtle to start, the London based band open with an entirely instrumental backed track in the form of album title ‘Ahead Of The Rain’ before the boy • girl vocals of ‘Saint Bees’ sweep in to knock you literally side ways. Gorgeously lush, ‘Saint Bees’ brilliantly captures the feeling of melancholy wrapped in an uplifting beat that will not allow sorrow to set in as the band effortlessly pepper the track with sunshine pop. With vocals that ooze discontent and heartache pouring out lyrics laced in sorrow, this is a track that should be heartbreaking but with The High Wire refuse to dwell on such matters, sprinkling the song with a spirited sense of hope that instantly uplifts. Indeed, ‘Ahead Of The Rain’ is for all intent and purposes a shoegazing affair, an album that is bathed in melancholy but by adding lashings of off kilter pop, The High Wire switch things, making for a softly toned dose of fuzzed out escapism that will move all. ‘Rope Walking’ finds the band unleashing an avalanche of unpretentious pop that radiates with feel good vibes, infectiously causing a bout of foot tapping along with the cheery beats.
Shimmeringly intoxicating, ‘Ahead Of The Rain’ captures the feel of a lazy afternoon simply lying in a park drenched in sunshine and with ‘You Don’t Know What I Know’ grasping for epic popscapes as layered vocal harmonies dip and soar amongst passion fuelled melodies that build to exploding point - heart poundingly moving. Sadly a sense of fatigue sets in towards the end of the album, ‘The Watch’ just fails to stimulate whilst album closer ‘Tigers’ meanders with little sense of purpose leaving a somewhat disappointed taste in the mouth as the album ends but with so many good moments escaping through the speakers you just know you’ll be pressing the play button again before too long. Capturing the essence of Glastonbury within eight tracks, ‘Ahead Of The Rain’ will bring the festival to your doorstep a few months early with only a tent and some mud left to find.