Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
If you are going to make a statement then it must be done with absolute conviction, it must startle the recipient, it must oblige the senses in to feeling the seismic change in shift and balance that accompanies the natural and the atypical alike; for only In The Aftermath can we see the devastation and witness the rebirth of cool, of groove, and of brilliance.
The statement, a word perhaps that should be imprinted in bold and capital letters for Hollis Brown for the purpose of their latest recording, is one that sees the respected and passionate group immerse themselves into the world of The Rolling Stones, and in this case simply blow the original artists out of the water.
Heresy maybe in the eyes and ears of many, but In The Aftermath is not just an album of honourable covers, an homage to one of the Stones’ more accessible recordings, it is an achievement, a scintillating and towering presence in Hollis Brown’s own catalogue, and one that is in itself an immense and powerful figure in which the year will remember.
Recorded in one 24-hour whirlwind session, In The Aftermath is a feeling, it is willing to be seen, more importantly, to be felt as the human equivalent of pursuit of a tornado rampaging across the states, flattening buildings, scaring the Earth, but in this case it is across perceived convention, for a cover of a popular song can give pleasure for a while, can alter a fan’s perception of its dynamic; but to take on a whole album, to not just alter its foundation, but to rip it up and build an even greater monument to rock, that takes courage, it is the willingness to behold the behemoth and tame it, then create the beautiful monster in your own image.
From the stirring beginnings of Paint It Black, the allusion and truth behind the track punching deeper than the original, and through songs such as Under My Thumb, Think, Lady Jane, It’s Not Easy, and Goin’ Home, Hollis Brown respectfully tear down the unerodable and rebuild from the bottom up, and in one move offer something that arguably no other band has done before, the urge to seek out the original and offer thanks for its existence, for its history it has created the future, and In The Aftermath is very much the score for its time.
Brilliant, unashamed, dynamic, punchy, and cool, Hollis Brown have seen the Aftermath, and chased it down to stand in the middle of the chaos surrounding it, and in the eye of the tornado, they have made the world silent with appreciation.
Hollis Brown release In The Aftermath on February 4th via Mascot Label Group/Cool Green Recordings.
Ian D. Hall