Turned around
The Tubs' second album, Cotton Crown, sees the Celtic Jangle boyband venture into darker, more personal territory while continuing to hone their highly addictive brand of songcraft. It’s a true level up album which sees the band expand their sonic palette to take in a kaleidoscopic range of influences: everything from soulful pub rock (Chain Reaction) to Husker Du aggression (One More Day) to melancholy sophisto-pop (Narcissist) gets a look in. As Pitchfork noted, The Tubs see jangle as a ‘vast world of moods and muses’ and Cotton Crown sees them continuing to explore this world and creating a distinctly Tub-ular sound in the process.
This is in no small part down to Owen ‘O’ Williams’ vocal performance- often compared to a young Richard Thomson- and his frank, bleakly funny lyric writing. Cotton Crown sees him delve further into his favorite themes of love-psychosis, unsympathetic mentally ill behavior, and the humiliations of being a musician in London.
The essential trick Cotton Crown plays is to offset Williams’ lyrical bleakness with joyous, hook-laden blasts of pop perfection. This is largely down to the guitar work of George Nicholls, who, across the album, effortlessly slips between the virtuoso jangle of Marr, the driving folk-rock of Pentangle and the chorus-heavy hi-fi grooves of contemporary bands like Tops or The 1975. Add to that the breakneck rhythm section of Taylor Stewart (Drums) and Max Warren (Bass)- who attack each song with power-pop ferocity, recalling Guided by Voices at their drunken-yet-tight best- and you’ve got yourself a recipe for indie rock greatness.
Available on limited indies-only daffodil yellow vinyl (Dinked Edition has sold out)
Sonic Youth’s Hold That Tiger captures the band’s raw energy in a ferocious 1987 live recording, now reissued on black, and very limited coloured, vinyl. Bob Mould is as reliably intense on Here We Go Crazy, full of sharp hooks and relentless energy, as you'd expect. Hospital’s II crafts icy, post-punk atmospheres with precision, this time featuring Tony Jay (Flowertown), and Karina Gill (Cindy), and coming with a bonus 7". Clara Mann’s Rift is hushed, intimate folk, and comes as a limited Dinked Edition. Harlem River Drive’s self-titled classic from 1971 fuses Latin soul and funk with politically charged urgency. JJULIUS returns with Vol. 3, a lo-fi synth-pop journey both playful and enigmatic. Numero Group’s Great Lakes Gospel compilation unearths powerful, spirit-lifting recordings from the Midwest, on limited coloured vinyl. Les McCann’s Layers (1972) gets another moment in the spotlight, showing off his ahead-of-its-time electronic jazz experiments. Zambia’s Ngozi Family bring searing psych-rock energy on their 1977 ripper 45,000 Volts. Joe Henderson’s Multiple (1973) is a deep, adventurous fusion classic finally back in print. And Now-Again’s More Loving On The Flipside compiles rare soul and beat-heavy ballads from the label’s vaults.
