Originally published by L.S. Media. January 9th 2012.
L.S. Media Review. ****
You only need one word to describe the Dodgy album, Stand Upright In A Cool Place, you could search through every edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, every thesaurus possible and spend hours looking for that one perfect platitude and it will all boil down to the same thing…stunning!
It’s not just the songs themselves that make up this exquisite album it’s the sound that seems to traverse musical boundaries whilst retaining the beauty of the band. Like last year’s awesome release by The Waterboys An Appointment With Mr. Yeats, by doing something against the grain has propelled the band into an area that their music will thrive and no doubt be remembered just as fondly as their Brit Pop era.
The three original members of the band, Nigel Clark, Andy Miller and Mathew Priest decamped to Malvern to record the songs and the atmosphere surely adds to the album’s overall quality. As with all great albums, the times and period can seep through into the recording. You only have to think of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled Waters to understand that some of the tension and ultimately good vibe comes through and is captured perfectly.
The songs themselves have a wonderful encompassing feel that draw the listener in with warmth and affection for the music. It’s one of those albums where every single track is crafted and played with such incredible tenderness that all who were concerned in the making should be justifiably proud of what they have managed to create.
Opening with the brilliant Tripped and Fell, the album follows strongly all the way through with heart-breaking and beautifully sung lyrics that will make you weep and fall in love with this band all over again.
Raggedstone Hill and Find A Place in particular stand out as two tracks that brim with stunning guitar sequences and an element of shrouded mystery surrounding them. Find A Place seems to hark back wonderfully to the early folk ideas of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel tracks such as The Boxer.
It seems that the great act of the 90’s is back, bigger and better than ever and with a sound that just makes you want to shake them by the hand and thank them time and time again.
Stand Up In A Cool Place is released on 20th February 2012 through Strike Back Records.
Ian D. Hall