NIGHTINGALES

Stalwarts of edgy, testy disgruntled off-kilter literary and punked-up vignettes, Nightingales continue their unattainable legacy with their umpteenth album Mind Over Matter. Their first for John Robb's equally vociferous Louder Than War imprint, the dozen songs here are some of the strongest the band has composed for some time.

Ably supported by ex-Prefect Alan Apperley on guitar, Faust Studio engineer Andreas Schmid on bass and drumming impresario Fliss Kitson, chief barker Robert Lloyd shows no sign of letting up his emotions anytime soon. There's the usual bitterness, bile and bawling during The Man That Time Forgot, a spot of arch observing on the bluesy, jaywalking Ripe Old Age on which he coughs "Everybody's living too long" and even some straight-up indie-pop on the must-be-a-single The Only Son.

The self-exploring Gales Doc is a tongue-in-cheek peek into the band's world of Wolverhampton's pop combo with their modest guitar riffs and writing habits explained, all set to a neck-nodding sub-surf rock instrumental. All you ever needed to know about Robert Lloyd's charges in one fell four-minute swoop.

Most of the songs are shorter than the time it takes to get up and hit the skip button, which is just as well because you need to hear the whole thing in one sitting. And then, as is likely with Nightingales' albums, press repeat. If you like your bands to deliver honest little anthems from the heart and not from the wrist, Nightingales are waiting for your call. Or at least your cash. They deserve it - Mind Over Matter matters more in 2015 than you might have first thought.

This review also appeared on Flipside Reviews

Paul PLEDGER
25/04/2015