I thoroughly enjoyed the last Tablefox album, Battles, while I was also fortunate enough to recently catch them supporting Capital Theatre so was looking forward to their new single. Musically they are based in alt rock, but that covers a multitude of sins, and they are also heavily influenced by the sound of some Eighties bands such as Simple Minds, and that really comes through here. Interestingly they are using a brass section on this arrangement which adds more force when it is required, even though much of the verse has Clinton accompanied mostly by bass and drums, with the guitars coming in on the chorus. This is where the reverb is placed on his voice as he lifts up high, and there are definite similarities with early U2.
Throughout the song there is a sense of something else happening, and although the build is gentle, one would have been disappointed if there had not been a significant change close to the end, and of course that is what we get as just as it is dying away a guitar starts riffing, everything speeds up, and we are off. This is where we get the solo as the song ramps up, and in a live setting this is where the crowd goes wild. A very polished rock act, this is another great song from the band.
About the author Kev Rowland
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From 1990 – 2006 I ran Feedback fanzine in the UK, writing about bands that were rarely covered in the mainstream press, many of whom were in the underground scene. I built close ties with many British Progressive groups in particular, including writing the newsletter for Freewill, getting gigs for Credo and writing the introduction to Galahad’s OCMDII compilation. I reviewed literally thousands of cassettes and then CDs from bands from throughout the world, and was lucky enough to interview many of them. During this period I also contributed to the French progzine Acid Dragon, wrote for the music newspaper Rock ‘n’ Reel and was also involved with the Ghostland website. In 2006 I moved to NZ, and stopped running Feedback (which was then renamed Amplified after I left, at my request) having produced over 80 editions with more than 11,000 pages of print and heaven knows how many reviews
More by Kev Rowland
Gig Review: Crushfest @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland – 07/07/2023
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Single Review: Love and War
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Single Review: All This Time
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Single Review: Sons of Savages
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Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland – 26/05/2023
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Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland – 27/05/2023
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Single Review: Beautiful Creature
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Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe – 24/05/2023
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EP Review: Bridge City Crew
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Single Review: Your Heart of Gold
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Single Review: The Strangest Dream
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Single Review: No Funeral Blues
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