Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
We are in danger of becoming used to the idea of unwarranted change, the effect of constant rebuilding which only serves to alter the dynamic in which a settlement of size has built up; this disturbance may go unnoticed by many, but for those who see beyond the grain of intuition, it can be said that they are aware of the problem, the analogy that hits home with the personal belief that the city is a sacred beast, soon proves to be its own ruin, that The Town That’s Falling Down is not just the one we live in, but the one that inhabits our soul.
We neglect our feelings at a cost, in the same way that the inattention to the town’s past and confliction with those who have no pause for thought on how the spiritual can keep a town together, so too do we pay consideration to the town within, the shop windows of our demeanour must be stocked with enough tempting goods so that people will see us and be friendly enough to talk to us, and when they become a cheerleader of ours so then can we keep the flag flying high.
North Line’s Denis Parkinson, Dave Criddle, Andrew Hutchinson and Mike Hughes understand this state of affairs, and for a group fresh off the blocks they have put together a single that encapsulates the awareness of the symbiotic and symbolic relationship we have with our surroundings is faithful and positive, one that is testament to the way that the four musicians perform when alone, or indeed as part of this new group.
The Town That’s Falling Down may have the sound of softness weaved through it, but in that gentle heart resides the hard-hitting lyric and the strength of musicianship that rolls like thunder across the city, that fresh smell of innocence that comes from within as it drives out the smell of corruption and the stench of decay.
A single that signals intent, one that resonates because of the way it is subtly built up and allowed to flow, emerging as a shining example of deft beauty.
North Line release The Town That’s Falling Down on the 7th September and will be available on Bandcamp.
North Line will be performing at 81 Renshaw Street on the 19th October.
Ian D. Hall