Rock, Pathos and Poetry, delivered with Churchillian values......
Eight years since formation and The Fuse could be forgiven for running out of passion for the business but, in true rock tradition, they have defied the odds and produced an album of wise reflection and insight into the frustrations of the music industry.
Singer Alex Lato is a man so passionate about his work that the band's website is an encyclopaedic collection of musings and thoughts on why, where and when every track on the record was conceived and subsequently dragged screaming into the public domain on their many tour dates. This band have toured extensively, supporting acts such as Foreigner, UB40 and even with rock's new kids on the blocks, EofE.
'Alamein' is an affirmation that all their hard work has paid off, all eleven tracks have been fully road tested and, in the main, have been chosen by the fans themselves. The band have created their PEFF (panel of elite Fuse fans) fans forum on their media sites to allow direct feedback from fans, and critics, in a bold move that will see all the songs released on Soundcloud in July ahead of the September album release date to enable the public in general to vote with their ears.
The album carries two versions of their Roman anthem 'Black Lion', a live favourite. 'Sleuth' is my top track, but feel that either 'Paint this Town' or 'Phantom' will win the the fans vote for first single. One nugget is the track 'White Shark' which seems to harp back to the 70’s and has more than a passing resemblance to Sparks (now teamed up with Franz Ferdinand).
Overall a great album and a testament to one of the hardest working bands around.
A favourite quote of Alex is Churchill’s “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein, we never had a defeat”. A metaphor and the reason behind the album's title, no doubt.
The Fuse are: Alex Lato, Simon Bowker, Ed Thorne & Simon James White
10/11
Iain @docswallow
Black lion
Misfit
Oxygen
Sleuth
White Shark
Rainbows
3AM
Paint this Town
Phantom
In this World
Black Lion (alt v)
Released on Soundcloud on 10th July
Album released for sale on 7th September