The Room In The Wood are a band from Liverpool featuring ex-members of among other bands The Room, Benny Profane, Ludus and It's Immaterial.
The album opens with Charmed that sounds like it wants to be somewhere near the most florid end of Scott Walker's cannon with nods to Richard Hawley it's a nicely strummed tale of leading a Charmed Life.
Diamond Clouds is gently slightly fey indie with hints at Prefab Sprout or not surprisingly Benny Profane this is the sort of song that's going to grow on you after a few listens.
Mars (Won't Save us) isn't as much of a space rock epic as the title might suggest but it does pose a few interesting questions as to what might save us these days over a cool riff and it feels like a mellow Brilliant Corners song.
Stowaway doesn't have an Iggy and Ziggy style D.O.A. attached to it but is a nice dark and languorous shuffle through the experience of a Stowaway trying to get to a better life or just getting out of this life, it sounds far more gentle than the journey it describes.
Blue takes us to the depths of the deep blue sea as they are shipwrecked and it doesn't sound like an euphemism for being drunk as a sailor, more like a rumination on mid life blues and life around them gently caressing us towards a better day.
We're The Martians Now is thankfully not based on that awful self help book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus but more likely equating our current lifestyles to being like a digital dystopia so different from these guys 80's heyday and how we've all turned into robots and played very much in a similar style to Richard Hawley.
Shimmer is too slow to shimmy across a dance floor too but is full of regret at the passing time hoping for a shimmering return to fey indie pop glory and as with most of this album it feels ready for daytime radio.
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Fun Of The Fair has an almost deathly glam rock feel to it, no it's not a stomper but it opens things up and has a great guitar solo in it, and while they don't sound like they are having fun on the Wurlitzers they are certainly enjoying themselves.
Dragonfly is like a long-lost Scott Walker song gentle chamber pop with an innate beauty as they sit and stare at that Dragonfly.
Halloween Lies is just about the most gentle sounding Halloween song around as they tell us a tale of someone suffering in hospital, this is a gloriously downbeat tribute to a loved one who may or may not survive.
Under The Waterfall is a tale of regret post break-up as they wonder if they will ever see each other again, it's another sophisticated chamber pop song perfect for some middle aged contemplation.
The Earth Is Flat (Fools Anthem) see's them go full on flat earther mad men just telling us how you have to be a fool to believe anything else and it's sung like they want an audience screaming along to the chorus.
Find out more at https://theroominthewood.bandcamp.com/album/were-the-martians-now https://www.facebook.com/theroominthewood/
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