When a band you love announces that their next album is going to be a bit of a departure from what has gone before, it can cause some concern. Fans often want to hear more of what they like and can react negatively to too much change. I, on the other hand, generally like it when a band pushes themselves and looks to expand on what they have done rather than simply repeat what has gone before. If a band is just going to do the same thing again, what’s the point of a new album? With their new release, Aces Are High, When Rivers Meet said that:
“Before we held back on being too rocky, but this time we allowed ourselves to create what we wanted to hear, without restricting ourselves.”
As I said, I like a band that wants to grow and develop, but, as they admit themselves, there is a rock edge to much of their previous work, so it shouldn’t offend any but the most stick-in-the-mud of their existing fanbase. The increased rockiness did not offend me at all; I loved it! (Sorry, there should have been a spoiler alert before the last sentence, as it sums up the rest of this review.)
The open track of the album, “Infected”, starts the way they mean to go on. A gritty guitar riff is soon joined by, what can only be described meaty drums. Then in comes Grace’s vocal powering through the existing wall of sound before Aaron adds his singing to the chorus where their voices (as always) blend beautifully. (At this point I was going to make a weak joke about the first track infecting me and that listening to the rest of the album as being the only cure. But that would have been really naff, so I’m not doing that.)
The second track demonstrates that the opening salvo was not a one off. More growling guitar, and a very menacing sounding Grace, really sink their teeth into “Seen It All Before”. There is a stomp/clap style percussion, but essentially this is a showcase of what Grace and Aaron do. It is also their latest single so, instead of reading my thoughts, check out the video at the end of this review and see what you think yourself… I’m sticking with “menacing”!
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I am in danger of reviewing every track, so I’m going to skip to track four, before some honourable mentions at the end. Although most of the tracks are unashamed rock, “Golden” is the first of two major exceptions. A gentle acoustic riff, accompanied by Aaron on lead vocals leads us into this song. When we reach the chorus though, Grace joins him and we are treated to the outstanding harmonies of Grace and Aaron blending together in a way that I can best describe as, golden. I cannot tell you how much I love the way their voices work together. As the song builds, and particularly as we hit the third verse/chorus, we are in full gospel mode. Sublime! Unfortunately, I don’t have the album credits, so I don’t know if an actual gospel choir was used, but my suspicion is that what I’m hearing is multi-track Graces. Heavenly! This track is a bit of a gear change from what has gone before (and, indeed, what follows) but it has quickly become my favourite.
As promised, a few honourable mentions. Fist up is track seven, “Perfect Stranger”. If you have read my review of their recent gig in Glasgow, you will know that is is already a fan favourite and you can check out the video at the end of the concert review. It has grown on me even more since I heard it in concert and is another highlight of this album.
The penultimate track is: “By Your Side”. It is the second song (along with “Golden”) that stands out as having a different feel to the others. It has a country and western vibe and is a good opportunity to draw breath before being bludgeoned by the opening riff of the final track: “5 Minutes Until Midnight”.
I believe the release of Aces Are High was delayed week due to due to unspecified problems. One issue, apparently, is that the vinyl was put in the wrong sleeves. As Grace said: “How is that even possible?”. If I understand it correctly, Grace and Aaron themselves (along with some chums, I hope) are physically taking the records out of the wrong sleeves and putting them in the right ones. Again, to quote Grace: “Welcome to independent music”. Order your copy from the When Rivers Meet shop.
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Aces Are High is out on October 13th
Summary: Raucously rocking with enough light and shade to keep you coming back again and again.
Header image by Laurence Harvey
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