Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline

Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline is an odds ‘n’ sods collection of unreleased songs, radio sessions and remixes from the Mercury Prize winning revivalists. And, like most such compilations, it’s a mixed bag and not nearly as enjoyable as either of their albums to date.

Opener ‘Shitbag 9’ is nothing more than a doodly intro, but it’s soon followed by ‘Bring Your Lovin’ Back Here’, a wonderful Zep-influenced blues stomp where Ben Ottoway’s throaty rasp and Ian Ball’s gentle harmonies complement each other perfectly. ‘Emergency Surgery’ is rooted deep in the Big Easy bayou blues, while ‘Hit On The Head’ is an old demo which has been barely dusted down for this outing but retains a certain lo-fi charm nonetheless.

A BBC session of ‘78 Stone Shuffle’ is more bluesy and urgent than the original, and the remix of ‘We Haven’t Turned Around’ has a haunting quality that its previous incarnation lacked. Their take on the fab four’s ‘Getting Better’, familiar from a certain TV ad, would be a worthy inclusion on any album.

Less impressive, though, is the eerie drone of ‘Steve McCroski’ or the eastern-tinged ‘High On Liquid Skin’, while ‘Rosemary’ could have benefitted from a less orthodox arrangement. Then there’s ‘Shitbag’ and ‘The Cowboy Song’: mere sketches that could, fleshed out, have been far better used.

This is exactly the type of album that will have Gomez’ detractors rubbing their hands with glee, as it shows the five Northern lads at their most self-indulgent. For fans, on the other hand, it will pass the time until the third album proper comes along.