Everyone has had that moment when their parent has said “What’s that you are listening to?” You respond and the parent replies “never bloody heard of them.” You shake your head and think how they can be so old and out of touch and how you will thankfully never be like them.
The request arrives to review Slow Readers Club. Must be some new band not that well known you think. They have released six albums since 2011 and have broken the UK Top Ten. How the hell did this happen, I’m officially out of touch.
This is intelligent electro pop and lead singer Aaron Starkie has a vocal delivery that I can imagine draws an audience in and shows his range on Plant the Seed and closer Know the Day Will Come switching between falsetto and a more direct delivery . Further reading finds they hail from Manchester. Listening to this you can hear that this is a band that will have all Joy Division and New Order records in their collection, no band thing.
I cannot say that all twelve tracks connected with me, Don’t Mind really passed me by but opener Start Again shows they are no slouches as drums shuffle and intermittent guitar populate the track as we build to a satisfying chorus and why not stick a guitar solo in to pull me in. I Saw a Ghost was a single and keeps the momentum going this is a band who can do choruses, try Grace of God to see what I mean.
Title track Cavalcade has one of those guitar sounds throughout the track that I’m a sucker for but I feel it’s just getting going and abruptly ends.
Fool For Your Philosophy reminds me of The Killers a band I have never really warmed to but after several listens became one of my favourite tracks on the record. Secrets is more ballad like than anything else on the album with a distinguished piano running throughout the track.
This is a clearly talented band who have found a niche with more “in the know, sorry younger, people than me.
6.75/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: I Saw A Ghost