Reviews roundup – 4th Labyrinth vs. James McArthur vs. Landmarq vs. Kat Eaton vs. Lucifer’s Friend

Reviews roundup –  4th Labyrinth vs. James McArthur vs. Landmarq vs. Kat Eaton vs. Lucifer’s Friend

4TH LABYRINTH
Quattro Stagioni
independent

Oh no.  that’s not happening.  Not the artichokes touching the ham!  That’s just disgusting, that is.  Unlike 4th Labyrinth, who are a rather classy offering.

They’re a bit odd, though, as they’re one of those bands you can’t actually pigeonhole.  Which is actually a good thing and a bad thing.  See, how can you recommend it to others by saying it’s a bit prog, a bit white boy soul, a bit Todd Rundgren, a bit electropop and a bit Supertramp.  Ish.

Half the songs are poppy enough for radio, the other half are too clever by half, and the third half are too fond of the early eighties for their own good.  And I know that’s too many halves.  If you can find them on a streaming site give ‘Open The Gate, ‘Wonderful Song’ and ‘Rule the World’ (no, not that one) a listen, and you’ll soon find yourself drawn into their world.

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JAMES McARTHUR and The Head Gardeners
Strange Readings From The Weather Station
Moorland Records

That’s a bit unfortunate, really.  See, when I got this, I thought “Blimey, that annoying bloke off the X Factor hasnae half changed”.  But no, turns out that was James Arthur, not James McArthur.  Thank goodness for press releases, or I’d never have went past track one.

Because this fella isn’t a tattooed arse, no he’s a sensitive singer songwriter who probably spent too many of his teenage years listening to John Martyn albums.  Yes, it’s one of those sparse, dark, mystic, folky type things that people with more emotion than me will silently weep along to.

There are hints of psychedelia, a touch of the Incredible String Band, and some jazzy licks that will make some people moist with pleasure.  Some of the songs are ideas rather than actual songs, floating in and out, as if on a whim.  Not my cup of tea, but I can still recognise talent when I hear it.

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LANDMARQ
RoadSkill – Live In The Netherlands
Landmarq / Synergy

Ach, now, see here’s the sing.  Landmarq make marvellous music, but I can’t get past the vocals of Tracy Hitchings , which always sound like early 80’s Toyah at her most affected.  Which is a shame for me, because a) I really want to like Landmarq and 2) Toyah made some great records later on in her career.

So we parted ways after the Damian Wilson years, but once they were back on the scene I gave them another go.  To no avail.  So what we have are impeccable musical passages that get me all a quiver, then some singing that makes me sigh.  And not in a good way.

Fans will love this, as it’s well recorded and songs like ‘Mountains of Anglia’ and ‘Walking On Eggshells’ (on disc 2) take on a new persona live.  Never mind the sixteen minutes spent int the company of ‘Calm Before The Storm’.  There’s also a bonus DVD with another two tunes, band interviews and a film of the show.

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KAT EATON
Giving It Up
independent

If you’ve got the “Live At The Foundry” EP, then you’ve already heard this song.  If you don’t, then I recommend you do.

The lazy comparisons point to a jauntier, folkier Katie Melua, and they don’t get much lazier than me, so I’ll just stick with that.  Because this is the kind of a song that would be a big hit, if there were any justice in the world.  Of course, there isn’t, but this jaunty, brassy pop song is too good to be ignored.

Don’t be put off by the fact that BBC Introducing were involved in her first solo tour.  She’s much better than that. In fact, the first thing I did after this was Spotify her “Live Ont’ Sofa” EP to make sure she wasn’t a one trick pony.  And she isn’t. Result.

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LUCIFER’S FRIEND
Awakening
Lucifer’s Records

One of the odder reunions of the last few years.  I mean, I don’t think anyone was champing at the bit for John Lawton to get back together with his pre Uriah Heep band for another go.  But I’m glad they did, because this is rather good.

During their career, they went from heavy prog to AOR, all of which was fine by me.  This two disc album / EP is a real treat, with the first CD featuring a remastered collection of their classic tunes, and anyone who missed them the first time around is in for a nice surprise as they listen to some Ken Hensley type organ runs.

John Lawton is in fine voice, and as anyone who has heard his solo albums / side projects in the intervening years can attest, he’s still got it.  Although I’m not sure about the Rod Stewart look.  Best of the bunch from the early days are the songs of their self titled debut and ‘Dirty Old Town’ from “Banquet”.

But then bung in disc 2 and look!  An EP of brand new songs.  Yes, indeed, four new Lucifer’s Friend songs.  Who knew?  And they fit in very well, alongside the old material with ‘Pray’ the strongest of them.  A very welcome, albeit surprising return.

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