From the swirling drums that lead into the ramshackle guitars on opener ‘Shipping’, the scene is set for the rest of new Johnny Foreigner album, You Can Do Better.
This Brummie band, whilst new to this reviewer, are on their 4th album, and if this is anything to go by, I will be checking out the back catalogue.
The band are set on dual boy girl vocals, lead boy Alexei Berrow and bassist Kelly Southern who take it in turns, sometimes shouty but often melodic. The rest of the band play the kind of fast tempo riffing which reminded me of Green Day/ Supergrass and all put together makes for a ‘stand up and listen’ experience.
They do have a couple of quieter interesting moments, especially on ‘Riff Glitchard’ (most of it anyway) and on bonus track ‘To The Deaf’, both of which for me stand out when listening to the album on headphones.
‘Le Sigh[ is the first single from the album and after a few plays seems to get under the skin and is definitely ear worm material.
The rest of the album follows the same template, bustling along its own merry way.
All in all, a messy yet tight, blustery yet controlled album, with not an acoustic guitar in sight. It's taken me a few listens but it's addictive and an excellent choice as a Friday night listen, preferably before going to see the band live.
Keith
7/11
@kjsmith4082
1. Shipping
2. Le Sigh
3. In Capitals
4. Riff Glitchard
5. The Last Queens of Scotland
6. Stop Talking About Ghosts
7. WiFi Beach
8. To The Death
9. Le Schwing
10. Devastator
Bonus : To The Deaf
Tour Dates;
March
13th New Slang, Kingston
14th The Penny Theatre, Canterbury
15th Firebug, Leicester
16th Guillivers, Manchester
20th The Hop, Wakefield
21st Joiners, Southampton
22nd The Flapper, Birmingham
27th JT Soar, Nottingham
28th Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
29th The Star Inn, Gilford
30th Moles, Bath
31st Borderline, London
April
3rd The Harley, Sheffield
4th Shits Freaky Club, Durham (TBC)
5th Lounge 41, Workington