Keiron Phelan - Peace Signs

Beautiful songs, sumptuous arrangements, lounge-bar crooning and sceptical sideways glances!

What a year it's been for music. Though there's been no unifying next big thing or exciting new genre, there's been a steady stream of strong albums released over the last twelve months. One record label in the midst of a purple patch is Gare du Nord Records. Their year began with the eponymous debut by The Cold Spells, followed by great records by Papernut Cambridge and Jack Hayter amongst others, and now comes Peace Signs by Keiron Phelan. He has previous form as a member of State River Widening, Smile Down Upon Us and Littlebow, but I'm saddened to admit this is my first encounter with his work.

Peace Signs is an album that's easy to enjoy, full of gorgeous arrangements, lyrically rich and melodic, but also full of surprises, curve-balls and intriguing cul-de-sacs. The connection may not be obvious and I want to avoid comparisons where possible but the record it most reminds me of is Don't Stand Me Down by Dexy's Midnight Runners. Not only because it shares Irish showband textures at times, but also because it's a record that blurs the lines between the personal and the political. Similarly it's an album that takes serious subjects and sceptical sideways glances, adds a little humour and puts them into gorgeously arranged pop songs, though on Peace Signs there's the extra adornments of harps, woodwind, pedal steel and piano in addition to the Dexy's-style violin.

This gently intoxicating instrumentation is present on opening track 'New Swedish Fiction' set atop some subtly but funky drums, with Phelan singing of the joys of Scandinavian noir novels. The album's title track then follows, a piano-led ballad about hippie girlfriends with Phelan's deep-voiced lounge-bar crooning lending the song depth and poignancy. 'Satellite Hitori' is the catchiest offering here, containing all the hallmarks of a hit single. Pete Waterman would no doubt part with a some vintage train memorabilia to have written it.

By rights 'Song For Ziggy' should be the theme tune for a gentle television sitcom set in suburbia, centred around a warring but ultimately loving family. It's on 'Mother To Daughter Poem' where things take a really interesting turn, the song containing Polynesian folk textures, neo-classical composition and a tune and lyrics that bring to mind a nursery rhyme from the height of the industrial revolution. 'Apple Shades' acts as a mid album instrumental interlude, a short tone poem before 'My Children Just The Same' and 'Ain't She Grown' where the band sound like an accomplished but road-weary Irish showband playing melancholy songs for themselves after the bar has closed and emptied of punters. Both songs expressing the beauty and sadness found in the passing of time.

The album's final closing song include a country and western instrumental ('Country Song'), a gentle swipe at religion ('Hippie Priest) and 'Canterbury' where a spoken word vocal pays homage to Chaucer while the music pays tribute to Canterbury's reputation for jazz and folk-infused rock. Apologies for breaking down this record into its individual songs, and thanks for reading if you've made it this far. I may have not quite done this record justice but if you give it a listen you'll be richly rewarded as you'll hear new things with each listen, be it an insightful lyric or an instrument tucked away somewhere in the arrangement. A highly recommended release.

**THE PEACE SIGNS ALBUM LAUNCH SHOW IS AT THE GALLERY ROOM, ANTENNA STUDIOS, CRYSTAL PALACE ON SATURDAY 17TH NOVEMBER. SUPPORT FROM OLIVER CHERER**

Click here for Gare du Nord Records.