The Lancashire Hustlers - Big Ask

Northwest emigres search for love, truth, and beauty on their new album.

 

The Lancashire Hustlers are big favourites here at Harmonic Distortion. They comprise of Ian Pakes and Brent Thorley, a pair of songwriting musicians originally from Southport, who now live and work in London. Their work exists outside of prevailing fashions, and is instantly recognisable due to the duo's vocal harmony blend. They're also adept at arrangements, textures and instrumentation. Where the pair really excel however is in their songwriting. Previously they've addressed ruthless ambition, politics, corporate greed, the building of the Titanic, travel, the difficulties of art appreciation, and plenty more besides.

Their latest album, Big Ask,  came out about a month and a half ago, since when it's been a welcome companion on my daily commute to work. This time round they've not opted for the kind of grand conceptual theme that formed the basis of their earlier pop opera albums - there's no overarching narrative or storline. Instead it's an inward journey, with songs addressing the elusive nature of love and happiness. These are sophisticated songs, born of the big city, yet yearning for a simplification. In short they strip away at all that's unnecessary, and focus on the stuff that really matters - love, truth, beauty. It's a thread that runs through all the songs on Big Ask, whether wishing for passion ('Your Cool Reactions', 'You Who Only Play at Love'), lamenting joy's fleeting nature ('Happiness On a String') or appreciating the sublime beauty of the natural world ('Bluebell Painter'). They lay the writers' hearts on the line and wish that others could do the same. A big ask indeed.

One of the Lancashire Hustlers' key influences is Ray Davies of The Kinks. Much like the best of Davies'  songs, the songs on Big Ask  have a slightly removed, keen sense of observation. Whether deliberate or not the back cover image on Big Ask lends weight to this theory of Pakes and Thorley as observers. It's a photograph of the pair in a tile-walled cafe, drinking tea, their attention and eyes focussed on something happening across the room and out of shot. Who knows, perhaps what they're witnessing will feature in one of their future songs. I'd like to think so.

Anyhow, enough theorising, I'll leave you with that thought, because right now I'm off to press play again. 

 

Click here for The Lancashire Hustlers' website.

Click here for The Lancashire Hustlers on Facebook.

 

The Lancashire Hustlers - Stuck In A Daydream

Latest album of strange and clever pop from our favourite northern emigres.

Having enjoyed previous albums by The Lancashire Hustlers there was a real sense of anticipation before putting this latest CD into the player, and as expected the music didn't disappoint. For those unfamiliar here's a brief resume – Brent Thorley and Ian Pakes are two northerners exiled in London who make intelligent, literate adult pop music that leans heavily on their vocal harmonising and tasteful song-supporting arrangements. They sound like a mash-up of Steely Dan and The Everly Brothers busking somewhere on the Central Line.

Stuck In A Daydream is the duo's fifth full-length album. Their previous albums were all made with a central thread or narrative, the songs connected by a unifying story or theme. What Made Him Run from 2015 centres on family relationships and what happens when ambition runs wild, whereas Adventure (2017) is a globe-straddling cinematic musical travelogue. On Stuck In A Daydream however they've freed themselves up from such constructs, allowing each song to stand on it's own merits.

That said many of the songs' subject matter deal with a sense of disconnect, displacement and a gentle yearning. 'Have You Seen My Twin?' may be a song about the phenomena of womb twin survival. 'Underwater Memories' flips the gender roles in a story of a mer-man leaving the sea in search of on-land love. 'Consider Me' is a relatively straightforward love song but again centres on this need to connect. Similarly 'Been' and 'My Friend' both deal with issues surrounding separation. And album closer 'Party Pooper' captures that feeling we've all had when we feel out of place.

There's more though. 'Art Appreciation' deals with the bafflement and minefield that many of us feel when trying to er... appreciate art. Then there's the dreamy instrumental title track and 'Put On A Platform', a mysterious sphinx of a song with snaking saxophone lines and cryptic lyrics.

As ever with The Lancashire Hustlers the music is a delight, doesn't beg you to pay attention with overblown tricks but instead opts for a slow-burning, ultimately more persuasive low-level charm offensive. Plenty of hand-held percussion, an array of musical instruments from around the world, snazzy snatches of fuzz guitar here and neat touches of piano or Mellotron there. But the jewel in the crown is as ever the intelligent songcraft and their vocal harmony blend. Stuck In A Daydream may well be The Lancashire Hustlers' finest release to date. If you've yet to experience their music it's a great place to start.

Click here for The Lancashire Hustlers' website.

Click here for The Lancashire Hustlers on Facebook.

The Lancashire Hustlers - Adventure

Brent Thorley and Ian Pakes return with the final part in their trilogy of pop operas.

The previous LP from The Lancashire Hustlers, 2015's What Made Him Run, was a distinctly British concept album of sorts which focused on the corrupting nature of ambition and rampant capitalism. This time round the London-based duo turn their eyes outwards towards the wider world with a globe and time-straddling travelogue. Whereas What Made Him Run had a small screen kitchen-sink feel, Adventure has a broader cinematic quality to it. A kaleidoscopic musical journey, its juxtaposition of styles and textures acts as a soundtrack to an as yet un-made movie, taking in soul, psych, rock, country and more, all held together via the pairs' pleasing vocal harmonies, and a loosely themed narrative.

The are songs about the Titanic ('White Star Liner'), the points where science and politics meet ('An Expert Dies'), camper-van road trips ('Desert Drive') and plenty more besides. This concept of travel and pioneering permeates all the songs not only lyrically but musically too. A rich expensive tapestry of sound woven by an exotic range of instruments. Indian tamboura, autoharp, African Kalimba, lap-steel guitar and Metallophone all make an appearance. (Yes I had to Google the last one too!)

As this is the third and final album in their trilogy of “pop operas” it's unclear what The Lancashire Hustlers plan to do next. One can only hope they'll continue working together. Time will tell but in the meantime, feast your ears on their releases so far.

Click here for The Lancashire Hustlers' website.

Click here for The Lancashire Hustlers on Facebook.
Click here for The Lancashire Hustlers on Bandcamp.