Hope Against Hope

Joe Chester may be best known for his production work on albums by The Coronas, Ryan Sheridan and Mundy, but his solo work is distinguished by a rare intelligence and attention to detail. And so it proves on his fourth album (arriving barely ten months since his last release), which is as intriguing as it is enjoyable.
The opening instrumental, ‘Love Pouring Down Like Gravity’, with its repeated loop, is a hypnotic, trance-like tune that someone like Massive Attack certainly wouldn’t have kicked out of bed. For its part, ‘Subway’ is more an Eno-inspired sound collage than a song in itself. While there is always an experimental undercurrent of this kind at play within his work, he has an ear for a memorable hook and radio-friendly melody. Thus, switching tack completely, ‘Which Way Out’ (featuring vocals from Gemma Hayes) comes across as a Teenage Fanclub meets-The Cure, power-pop gem. And the jangly ‘Somewhere For The Animals’ is a swirling, psychedelic, indie-guitar tune with a driving rhythm that isn’t a million miles from The La’s.
Elsewhere ‘Dark Haired Mistress’ is a gorgeous, mid-tempo tune with a compelling melody, while the title track, with its ominous piano, bass and drum interplay, sonically recalls the kind of atmospheric territory explored in the ‘80s by the likes of Talk Talk (on Colour Of Spring) and The Blue Nile (A Walk Across The Rooftops.)
Well worth investigating.