165) Blue Aeroplanes - Swagger

So obviously we all have dreams, mine is to write a book and get it published. I’ve obviously not done it, but I know my level so have never tried. These tiny blogs are obviously my way of satisfying that need.

The Blue Aeroplanes do not have my mentality. They have released thirteen albums and have spent five weeks in the album charts. I have obviously decided that my book must be published to be a success and that’s bollocks. This is a band who believe in their music and perform for the love of what they do, and hope people come along for the ride. Support slots for REM, listen carefully as Stipe appears on the riff fest that is What It Is, and then the usual record company politics scuppered their big-time moment but quite rightly they battle on.

Swagger was their major label debut and certainly does not disappoint over the course of twelve tracks, they had served their time, so they knew it was time. An apt album title.

This is an album of guitars with lead singer Gerard Langley not really singing but speaking his lyrics as his voice weaves between the songs with World View Blue an excellent example and Weightless has the band and Langley becoming more pronounced before fading away and running straight into And Stones which showcases the bands guitarists and has moments of Flowered Up and Happy Mondays, yep that good.

Love Come Round the bands backing vocals add to the mix and still excites all these years later and Your Ages allows us to catch our breath.

The Applicant brings us one of Sylvia Plath’s poems to music and a haunting sax launches us into Anti-Pretty. Careful Boy sung by guitarist Rodney Allen with mandolin (the REM comparison may be heavy here) and is a nice contrast and the album ends with Cat – Scan Hist’ry over six minutes of Langley in a trance like spoken word swirl.

It took me a few listens before Langley’s voice clicked for me but was well worth the effort.

7/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Love Come Round