Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
What does it mean when you feel like a stranger in the country you were born into, that your parents and grandparents held their hand on their collective hearts and swore loyalty and fidelity to those they entrusted to make decisions that would make their way of life better, make those of the generations that followed, stand out, be seen as wholesome and pure.
It is not enough that the world has become damaged, out of sync with itself, but when you openly consider the words that might pass your lips, of Now Residing Abroad, that is when Time has displaced every drop of love you once had, the image of sacrifice, of disloyalty, of self preservation and meaning of who you are, is lost. A stranger in an even stranger land, a memory of what has been lost as you take on a new and possibly greater challenge, it is a feeling that deep inside you know your grandparents must have felt as they too may have ran from another place or taken displeasure with a once previous home.
To capture that sense of displacement though is a one that can be taken in some quarters as a kind of unfaithfulness, of disharmony, a relishing of the idea of failure; yet as The Furious Seasons demonstrate skilfully in their second album release as a trio, Now Residing Abroad, often the thoughts of moving on are paramount, no matter the scenario, no matter the circumstances, you must always be inspired to move on, to see the world from a different angle if needs be and to pick apart the reasons for doing so. By moving on you open yourself up to the new and the possible, you instinctively grow.
It is a growth that has continued in this new album by The Furious Seasons, the trio of David and Jeff Steinhart and P. A Nelson on bass, keys, guitar and everything in between resonates with beguiling fascination and slow down cool mania. In the songs So Sorry Adele, Tethered, the tremendous The Loyal Canadians, Marathon and Airtight, the band soar, they refuse to stand still and just be seen as taking on what has already been, their name might be steeped in one direction but as with any group worth their salt, it only takes a slight breeze in the air to whisper to them to take up a cause worth fighting for.
Immovable but always searching, steadfast but insisting on the right of exploration, Now Residing Abroad is a well crafted addition to the genre, one that hits home with every line.
Ian D. Hall