Album review: Late City Edition: A Classic Case of...

Trading in a heady brew of mod-flavoured, guitar-fuelled indie-pop, Late City Edition have been kicking around for five years or so. The band’s live experience certainly shows, with their debut album oozing the kind of confidence that only comes with time served on the road. Outfits like The Small Faces and Ocean Colour Scene immediately spring to mind on the opener, ‘The River’ – a storming, dynamic rocker with no shortage of attitude.
But there’s a lot more to the Dublin five-piece. ‘Blink Of An Eye’ offers jangly, Byrdsian textures and impressive harmonies, while ‘Everything Thought You Had’ is a slow-burning, country-ish rocker with echoes of Ryan Adams. ‘Emily Jane’ leans more towards folk, with hints of The Waterboys in the jaunty rhythm. Vocalist Al Richardson summons the iconic likes of Strummer, Weller and Stipe on ‘Turning Of The Tide’, and ‘Two Times A Lover’ is a terrific mix of soul grooves and Britpop swagger.
Elsewhere, ‘She Saves My Soul’ blends Beatles-inspired riffage with impassioned vocals, while the epic ballad ‘Fade Away’ is almost Springsteen-esque in scale.
While A Classic Case Of... doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s still an impressively accomplished record.

Rating: 7/10