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Review: 'Self Help Group, The'
'Dead Stars'   

-  Album: 'Dead Stars' -  Label: 'Union Music Store'
-  Genre: 'Rock' -  Release Date: '6th November 2015'-  Catalogue No: 'UMS010'

Our Rating:
Listening to ‘Dead Stars’, you’d never guess that The Self Help Group were a contemporary band from Brighton, sounding for all the world like they’re from across the Atlantic some time in the mid to late 70s. The cover art only reinforces this. But that isn’t to say they sound ‘retro’ or that they in any way deal in ersatz nostalgia, so much as that you really don’t hear albums like this any more.

As the press blub points out, ‘The Self Help Group inhabit the musical spaces between folk, Americana and indie. Always at the core of their sound are the stunning trademark three-part harmonies which first came to attention on 2013’s critically acclaimed ‘Not Waving But Drowning.’ Oh, and Bob Harris thinks they’re great.

The album’s first track has hints of Jefferson Airplane about it, but then there are some quite alien synths that add a whole other dimension to the sound. It’s subtle, but significant. And if ‘Smile Club’ calls to mind Fleetwood Mac or even The Coors, it’s equally fair to say it’s a superbly accomplished harmony-led rock tune with a classic feel.

Drawing on diverse and unusual sources and references for lyrical inspiration, the tone of the songs is equally varied, and this makes for a rounded album with a broad range of moods and tempos. And throughout, the hooks dig deep. ‘Broken Arrow’ is one of those songs which simply nags away, in the most gorgeous of fashions, blending folk and Americana and at the same time calling to mind both Fleetwood Mac (a recurrent reference) and All About Eve. Meanwhile, ‘Tides’ is one of those songs that’s simply beautiful in its sadness.

The album’s final track, ‘The Box’ is a masterwork in subtle hybridization, as soft strings and supple synths, low in the mix, augment a classic slow-burner that builds and builds but fades all too soon.

It’s an outstanding album, and on which deserves to see The Self Help Group achieve not only more critical acclaim, but commercial success.

The Self Help Group Online
  author: Christopher Nosnibor

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Self Help Group, The - Dead Stars