Cotton Crown

Description

The second album by Tubs, Cotton Crown, sees the Celtic jangle band venturing into darker and more personal territory while continuing to refine their trademark of highly addictive songs. It is a true power surge that sees the band expanding their sonic palette to incorporate a kaleidoscopic range of influences: everything from soulful pub rock ("Chain Reaction") to the aggression of Hüsker Dü ("One More Day") to melancholic sophisti-pop ("Narcissist"). This is largely due to the vocal performance of Owen 'O' Williams - often compared to a young Richard Thompson - and the candid writing and dark humor of his lyrics. The essential trick of Cotton Crown is to offset Owen's lyrical darkness with bursts of joyful and catchy pop perfection. This is particularly thanks to the guitar, which effortlessly glides throughout the album between Marr's virtuosic jangle, Pentangle's infectious folk-rock, and the hi-fi grooves of contemporary bands like Tops or The 1975. Add to this the rhythm section that attacks each song with a power-pop ferocity, reminiscent of Guided by Voices at their best drunken moment - and that's the recipe for indie rock excellence. For fans of Richard Thompson, The La's, The Charlatans, Aztec Camera, Superchunk, The Chills, Felt, The Smiths, Pentangle.