Elsie

Billed as Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon’s “quiet band”, The Horrible Crowes is a brand new side project that sees the crooner pair up with his old friend Ian Perkins. For the duration of their debut album Elsie, they unashamedly indulge their inner torch singers and channel, amongst others, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and The Afghan Whigs. Though not quite as chilled out as we were initially expecting, the songs on the record are sexy and soulful and fans will be pleased to know that they stand shoulder to shoulder with some of Fallon’s best work in his “day job”.
In addition to being a skilled melody writer, Brian Fallon is also a super-talented wordsmith and his heart-sick lyrics really shine on the mellow material, with lines like “It’s such a shame/I heard the wind say this morning/Be still my heart/I age by years at the mention of your name” (‘Behold The Hurricane’) really coming alive thanks to the more relaxed musical delivery. The perfectly measured melancholy of ‘Cherry Blossoms’, the anthemic ‘Crush’ and the Waits-esque carnival stomp ‘Mary Ann’ all see the singer at the peak of his powers. There is rarely a wasted moment on this inspired release. Get it now.