When the video of the Bush Hall concerts first appeared on You Tube, I was not the only one wondering what the hell this was. Other than a live album of material written in the immediate aftermath of Issac Woods departure, that is. When he left the band so unexpectedly before their 2nd album and tour were even started, that could have been the end of BCNR. No one would have blamed them if they'd called it a day. What they chose to do was hurriedly write a completely new set of songs and toured those for the rest of the year. The Bush Hall concerts appear to be an end of year shin dig to celebrate simply making it through that mess of a year.
What you are presented with is a band still in the midst of a process of change, throwing up a lot of half integrated ideas to see which ones best resemble a fruitful new direction. Its easy to yearn for the cohesive wired grist that Woods brought which seems ,by comparison, both tighter in musicality and psychology. But the songs here are clearly themed as a breakup and mend album. I do want to be wary about passing judgement prematurely here. Three of the band have taken up the responsibility for songwriting and lead vocalist, Tyler Hyde, Lewis Evans and May Kershaw. Triumvirates generally don't have a good track record for longevity in any sphere, so we will see what transpires with this collectivity.
The songs are variable in quality and ambition. Hyde is by far the most interesting songwriter and vocalist, with a fragile vocal style and song writing structure - Wont Always Love You, Laughing Song, Dancers and Up Song provide the strongest backbone to this album. Evans contribution, Across The Pond Friend & The Wrong Trousers, are lovely genial songs but they don't quite set the place on fire, yet. The two songs written by Kershaw both have a folky tinge - The Boy - more so. After many listens I'm not sure yet if I even like this as song. It seems too fussy with its chapter headings, and meanders to no effect. Turbines/Pigs, however, is substantially different, it has a gentle waltz like lilt to it that erupts into a typically BCNR thunderous cacophony by the end of its nine minutes plus. It's an extension of that painterly vein in BCNR,'s soundscape of offbeat romanticism If any of these songs makes it onto any future studio album then Turbine/Pigs, Wont Always Live You and Up Song should.
Ants From Up There was a triumphant high, but it proved to be the end of a particularly distinct sound and era. Any follow up album would almost inevitably struggle in the comparison. Live At Bush Hall whets your expectations for what this new format of BCNR might end up becoming, once they get over the shock and settle into it. There are tracks here that make one hopeful for their continued health and vitality. But overall Live at Bush Hall feels often as insubstantial as a cucumber sandwich. It doesn't as yet fully convince me this is going to work, even though I really want it too.
CARROT REVIEW - 6/8
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