I confess that post punk/ indie band The Hurrah! passed me by as did the debut solo album by that band's lead singer and song writer.
Listening to Wayward Son, his second album, I wouldn't have guessed Paul Handyside once had pretensions as an indie rocker nor that his roots lie in northern England.
The inspiration for his earnest croon seems more likely to derive from the Broadside balladeers of the American folk revival than from snotty nosed three chord wonders in the UK.
The grandiose pathos of his voice has similarities with that of Richard Hawley without tugging so effectively on the heartstrings. Precious And Rare ("fools like me are going spare") and Still Time Away are particularly Hawley-esque.
While not being obviously intended as a homage to tradition, it is a record that is hard to define as truly contemporary. Glory Bound and When The Good Times Roll Again are commentaries on the general public indifference to some unspecified war and the seafaring tragedy of Man Overboard doesn't take place in any recognisably modern setting.
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Equally, on the title track the singer asks forgiveness from his parents and Jesus for having befriended the devils of fortunes, favour and fame"; God fearing sentiments that were more commonplace in the past.
The love songs are emotionally charged yet Handyside is a somewhat aloof narrator as though reporting on behalf of a third party. One song is called Love Lies Elsewhere and, by implication, life does too.
Despite this, Carnival Girl is a passionate tune of falling in lust
and the line "he recalled how she blew him" on He Loves Her Now indicates a measure of sexual engagement.
In summary, the songs are honest and assured enough but don't resonate with me and I'm at a loss understand what audience they are pitched at.
Paul Handyside's website
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