The fifth release of 2014 from Popical Island is a rather tasty offering. Recorded over a weekend in London, Groom were at pains to keep things simple on Bread And Jam, eschewing click tracks and the like in favour of playing live and committing everything to two inch tape. The results make for an electric, eclectic listen.
It opens with ‘Ronan Agus Áine, Ca Bhfuil Tu?,’ a slice of jittery garage rock which calls to mind the Night Marchers and the Sultans at their poppiest (who also made albums on two inch tape). With The Kinks, Buzzcocks and possibly even Jilted John as musical touchstones, Groom flit from frenetic fizz pop (‘Dermot, Dermot, Dermot, Dermot’) to tender, sock-hop anthems (‘The Old Songs’). Singer Michael Stevens spins tales of comics, pub crawls and clerical abuse. ‘Colours’ is the pick of the bunch, thanks to its marriage of stellar chorus and stuttering organ. However, the whole of album number four is a solid affair – arguably their finest effort yet.