Reviews

Brinsley Schwarz
Album: Shouting At The Moon
Label: Fretsore
Tracks: 9
Website: https://www.facebook.com/BrinsleySchwarzMusic/

"Brinsley Schwarz…The man not the band"

You can't keep a good musician down. From his early days in Sounds 4+1, then Kippington Lodge, (whose spiritual home Tunbridge Wells, is, coincidentally, a mere 8 miles from where this is being typed), who morphed into the group which bore Brinsley's eponym, through to a short stint with Ducks Deluxe, the group with whom I first saw him perform, in 1975, if memory serves, and ultimately several prolonged stints with Graham Parker and The Rumour, Brinsley Schwarz has carved his name in British musical history as a legendary blues and pub-rock artist.

In a career which spans several decades, it is perhaps surprising that Shouting At the Moon is only his third solo album, the final release in a trilogy following Unexpected, 2016's debut, fomented after his passion for writing had been rekindled following couple of albums and tours with GP and The Rumour, in addition to duo shows with Graham, and then Tangled from 2021, all released on the imaginatively-monikered Fretsore Records.

Working once again with talented producer, engineer and keyboard player James Hallawell, whilst in many respects Shouting At The Moon is perhaps his most soulful album to date, a late 1970s sensibility pervades the release, and there is a successful melding of gritty, rocking moments with more thoughtful and melodic elements.

The smooth, polished opener, 'Every Day', engages from the get-go, the classy sax solos from Simon Taylor complementing the electric guitar notes, as Brinsley intones "by the afternoon, I'll be shouting at the moon".

There is a commonality between three tracks on the album, in that they were written between the late 1990s and early 2005, and have remained, hitherto, unrecorded. 'What In The World' features smouldering blues guitar which is so easy on the ear, alongside the Rhodes piano, creating cool vibes. A change of tempo and music style delineates 'Nothing Is What It Seems', with its swirling Hammond keyboard notes, pulsating beat and wah-wah guitar creating a vibe that really chugs along, accompanying lyrics which portend a trouble ahead, "there's a big storm coming, nothing is what it seems". The third song in this homogenous group, 'The Chance' continues the boogie-on-down groove, and harks back to much of what was taking place on pub rock-scene, with interplay between instruments suggesting musicians comfortable in each other's company creating exceedingly good, timeless music.

Brinsley informs us that he initially played 'Falling Over Backwards', to James on acoustic guitar, without apparent success, before the latter switched to Hammond organ, at which point everything clicked. Embellished by more superb sax playing by Simon, this was an obvious track to be released as a single.

Whilst eight of the tracks offered on the release are Schwarz originals, as on Tangled Brinsley pays tribute to his friend Graham Parker with a cover of one of the latter's songs. 'Watch The Moon Come Down' was written in the late 1970s, and Brinsley reveals that this is "One of my favourite GP songs. I loved rearranging and recording it." As a contrast to the higher tempo groove tracks, this interpretation offers another change in dynamics, with the vocal backed by strummed guitar, the percussion and both organs well-back in the mix. Truly melodic, as the song builds gradually we are treated to a classic short electric guitar solo.

'Maybe One Day', with its gentle, picked guitar notes, presents as easy-paced, with fascinating production and arrangement on the voices, and yet another blistering sax solo. Lyrically, the narrative tale possibly can be interpreted as a personal, or close-to-home story.

There are a further three songs on the album which also share a congruity, their subject matter being weighted with darker concerns. The first of these is the aforementioned 'Nothing Is What It Seems', whilst the two others were both written during 2004 and 2005 and recorded during that time. The first of these, 'Hard To Change (About Things Not Likely To Happen)' is about things not likely to happen any day soon, with the tight musicianship delivering up a relentless, toe-tapping, hip-shaking pace. The second, and the track which brings the album to its conclusion, is 'It's Been A Long Year', a reflective piece which addresses the issue of climate change, written and recorded during 2021's COP26 Conference held in Glasgow, and originally released as a single in 2022. The litany of events broached in the lyrics are underscored by majestic guitar solos as, once again, the track builds in intensity. Despite the sombre subject matter, it is not difficult to concur with Brinsley when he states "But listening to it now, I always seem to find it uplifting and hopeful."

Shouting at the Moon provides further evidence of the undoubted song-writing ability and musicianship of Brinsley Schwarz, the man. Available on vinyl, CD and digitally, this album is guaranteed to put a spring in your step and a smile on your face, and is thoroughly recommended.

David Pratt

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