Just Deserts

What’s the most outlandish 2012 prediction? That the end of the world is due, or that Desert Hearts will release their long, long, long-awaited third album? Well, I hate to break this to you – but we should all perhaps start digging those bunkers, because, miraculously, a taster from the sessions Belfast’s most elusive band have been conjuring up with producer, Ben McAuley have popped up on the Desert Hearts Bandcamp site. And guess what? All those deep cover DH disciples out there can resurface in confidence: Charley and Roisin it appears are still laughably great. ‘Wolf Down’ is a gorgeous breeze of a tune – full of subtle brushstrokes, compelling lyrics (‘There ain’t no light at the end of the tunnel/The janitor has killed himself with a funnel of poison’), and the kind of off-hand tempo change that this crowd excelled in during their pomp.

The worry, of course, is that the half-decade they’ve spent in the shadows has dulled the band’s edge and capacity for brilliance. But they sound so engaged here, so alive – dare we hope they’re going to come back in their best guise yet?
Just before Christmas, when we met up with Enda, Owen and the rest of the General Fiasco boys, their confidence, although lightly worn, was palpable. That they were just about to release ‘The Age You Start Losing Friends’ – as strong a song as they’d ever produced – was a contributory factor. But the more they spoke, the clearer it became that this new swagger was down to more than one tune. They were obviously convinced that the new material they were writing was the best of their career. Clearly wrong-footed by reactions to their debut album, Buildings, they were approaching its follow-up knowing they needed to write the record of their lives.
With the release, on June 18, of Unfaithfully Yours, we’ll discover if they’ve succeeded or not. I wouldn’t bet against them.
There has been a low-level hum surrounding Elspeth for a year or so. The Newry band has been tagged by some as Big Music contenders, which – depending on your Big Music tolerance levels – could prove to be a backhanded compliment. Their debut album, Coax is due for release on May 7, but lead single, ‘Think Again’ is wry, in fact sly enough to suggest Elspeth are a genuinely live prospect. Yes, there are soaring guitar lines here, but there’s also an awful lot of intrigue and mischief at work. ‘There’s a line on the door that says the industry is saving me,’ run the lyrics. We’re not meant to take that very seriously. We will watch this crowd with interest.
Tom McShane spoke to us last year about the influence of old jazz greats, and his desire to experiment with the recording process. To shake things up, to take risks. The Ural Winter, his new album, finds Tom’s bravery paying off in grand fashion. It’s due for release in June. I’ll remind you closer to the time, don’t worry.
We’re still enjoying 100 Miles Of Broken Pavement by The Jane Bradfords. While its blend of low bass and contemplative lyrics made it the perfect album for cold, dark mornings; its surplus of driving choruses has seen it survive surprisingly well long into spring.
I’ve become a broken record when it comes to Malojian’s, The Broken Deer EP. People who don’t need to know it, are being cornered and Gary Lightbody has let it be loudly known how “completely obsessed” he is by the track ‘All I Need’. And it’s that type of collection.
We spent quite a bit of time in the company of The Broken Zoeptrope by Deadman’s Ghost by way of prep for the last column. Copy has long since filed, but the songs have been difficult to shake off. Musically inquisitive, sonically adventurous and politically engaged, it’s a record of its time and for its time. Investigate.
And with records by Peter McVeigh, Our Krypton Son, Silhouette and Rainy Boy Sleep all bubbling to the surface, there’s certainly enough to keep us busy as Armageddon approaches.