David Long: Water Has Memory

David Long was the mainman with late ‘80s/early ‘90s Irish hopefuls Into Paradise. His solo debut is a lo-fi offering with brow firmly furrowed: a record for rain and mackintoshes. With echoes of the Bunnymen, Long conjures some Spiritualized moodiness and bleak Americana. It can be too downbeat though. The drum machine loops are at best unobtrusive, at worst distracting: Long deserves better backing and production.

Elsewhere, his pipes and melodies win the day, as he sings for the losers and lonely in life. ‘Enter Godot’ doesn’t manage it, whilst ‘Where Does Happiness Go?’ is too long. But his penchant for repetition does work on the shorter ‘Gravel’, which has a mantric feel and brutally honest lyrics that purge the soul. The computerised plonks on ‘Time Passes’ are oddly affecting, and the closer ‘Bigger Picture’ is gorgeous. Here Long’s world-weary voice is a salve for the souls of the perenially heartbroken. Though mixed, Water Has Memory is a dark pool that Into Paradise fans at least will want to plunge into.