Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
As a thunderstorm rolls in from the distance you can feel the static charge dance on your skin as the minute hairs stand to attention, as they become alert to the danger, to the spectacle to come.
That sense of heightened appreciation for the natural and the fear that stokes the possibility of being energetically and spiritually aroused by the demonstration of power that is evidently going to blow your socks off and put life in your heart, is not confined to the spark of a tempest created by the elements, but of the human flood of emotions when art captivates so generously, so intimately, and which resonates from every pore and muscle straining sinews and vessels which capture the mood entirely.
A deluge offered and excepted at will by the terrific Canadian band Bywater Call as they unleash with every elemental force at their disposal their brand-new album, Shepherd, onto the public at large, and one that will surely find the ensemble finally cracking the coveted U.K. music scene.
The act of communication is an absolute necessity, it is as compelling as understanding the reasons behind driving rain, of the well-rehearsed signals between the herder and their trusted companion, we trust in the voice of those dedicated to seeing the job, not only done, but fiercely defended at all costs.
Such is the beauty, the sheer scope of cool that comes from the band’s players, Meghan Parnell, Dave Barnes, Bruce McCarthy, Mike Meusel, John Kervin, Stephen Dyte, and Julian Nalli, that the tracks displayed, proudly animated and undeniably in tune with the human condition, are profoundly unflappable and sound gorgeous.
The dynamic and cohesion is framed expertly by tracks such as Colours, Sweet Maria, For All We Know, Turn It Around, Now And Never, and the beat that signals the approach storm, the subtle brilliance of Everybody Knows, and in this rich providence, the story of Toronto elegance fills the night air with calm, upbeat, demanding, indispensable groove.
The Shepherd signals to the flock to gather round, to hear the complexity of arrangement, to understand the tranquil emotions of Bywater Call; and the flock will not be disappointed.
Bywater Call release Shepherd on 9th August.
Ian D. Hall