Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Runcorn may be famous for one thing in particular but the bridge that crosses the Mersey and brings people from the south of the country into the heart of the cultural heartland of England also brings forth its own scene, its own art that fends off the thought of being completely absorbed and overwhelmed by its near neighbour. In The Fireflys, there is the talent to give the town its own home sprung heroes and in their latest album, Embers of The Autumn, there is a voice, a displacement of rich guitar and a beat that goads others into following them and sounds just utterly cool and insatiable.
Throughout the album, an image of three people refusing to lay down and take the easy route through life is overwhelming, the passion in the recording stands out but there is more to it than that. It is the lyrics that flow along like the tidal effect of the Mersey, ever changing, moody, a piece of beauty, industrious and alongside the thought of never wanting to just take from the world. The Fireflys perfectly frame just what it means to be up against a system that has no time to listen to the basic fundamental of life, to listen to the beating heart of music rather than those that say life should just be about making a pile of money, to play the world’s game. Sometimes it’s enough to create beauty for beauty’s sake.
Each song is rich in its own way and carries across a message that seems individual and brimming with delight, even when the subject matter is as sombre or as desolate as those in Government would prefer young lives to be. Whether it Autumn Soul, the excellent sounding Julianne, the expansive feel of Cemetery Song or Broken Pieces, each track typifies what can come out of areas of the country when they feel they don’t have a voice, everyone deserves to have their say and The Fireflys with this great album more than deserve their time in the spotlight.
Embers of The Autumn is released on August 5th.
Ian D. Hall