Interesting sods, THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF MAY. Their eponymous debut album remains one of the most quietly exotic and enigmatic releases to have slipped through most critics’ best of 2005 lists and its’ potent mix of ye olde Trad.folk sounds dusted with psychedelia and a hard-edged rhythm section is something this reviewer takes delight in returning to as and when possible.
“Cold Early Morning” represents t’18th at their rockiest and direct. Try all I might, but I can’t get visions of “Unhalfbricking”-era Fairport out of my head when I hear it, thanks to Allison Brice’s pure’n’gorgeous vocals, some strategically placed harmonies and Ben Phillipson’s liquid, Richard Thompson-style guitar solo. But in this case, the familiarity is a good thing and with the customary oomph of the band’s hard-edged rhythm section buoying it up beautifully, this one’s a winner from the start.
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The B-sides are undeniable treats, too. “Strings” finds tambourines and rolling congas forging alliances with mandolins, dulcimer and what sounds like Traffic-style flute. It’s lyrically wide-eyed (“I’ve waited for you, my dreams come true”), short and sumptuous. The cover of A.A Newcombe’s “Dawn”, meanwhile, sounds like the kinda thing Nick Drake hit upon when he arrived at the short-lived, happy-sad folk-rock crossroads of “Bryter Later” and is none the worse for that.
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