Cotton Crown

Description

The Tubs’ second album, Cotton Crown, sees the Celtic jangle outfit venture into darker and more personal territory, all the while continuing to hone their signature brand of highly addictive songwriting. It’s a genuine step-up that sees the group broaden their sonic palette to incorporate a kaleidoscopic array of influences: everything from soulful pub rock (“Chain Reaction”) to Hüsker Dü-esque aggression (“One More Day”) to melancholic sophisti-pop (“Narcissist”) is fair game. Much of this is down to Owen 'O' Williams’ vocal performance —often compared to a young Richard Thompson—and the forthright songwriting and dark humour of his lyrics. Cotton Crown’s essential trick is to offset Owen’s lyrical darkness with bursts of joyous, hook-laden pop perfection. This is thanks in large part to the guitar playing, which throughout the album slides effortlessly between Marr-esque jangle virtuosity, Pentangle’s driving folk-rock, and the hi-fi grooves of contemporary acts like Tops or The 1975. Add to this a rhythm section that attacks each song with a power-pop ferocity, recalling Guided by Voices at their inebriated best—and you have a recipe for indie rock excellence. For fans of Richard Thompson, The La's, The Charlatans, Aztec Camera, Superchunk, The Chills, Felt, The Smiths, Pentangle.