This new record from The Tubs opens on a wildly lyrical moment. Owen Williams' voice strikes out for Richard Thompson territory, while the guitar strums behind him recall Billy Bragg. And, in another throwback-sorta moment, "Illusion" sounds a whole lot like Bob Mould's Sugar. These first impressions suggest that Cotton Crown, this new album from the band formed from the ashes of Slumberland Records act Joanna Gruesome, is a sort of corner-turner for The Tubs.
There's still fire here, yes, but also a dash or two more brightness. "Narcissist", for example, is downright lovely, even while "Chain Reaction" is full-on indie punk. The Tubs are not so much grabbing at genres on Cotton Crown but kinda rifling through their record collection and holding to their chests the albums that most inspired them. The sound here then is more varied than on earlier Tubs offerings, and all the more vibrant and energetic too.
When Owen Williams sings "How strange the world is" in closer "Strange", we can totally agree. And there's something about his delivery that suggests a whole clutch of DIY bands from the mid-Eighties to Nineties from the United Kingdom. And while there is so much in the music of The Tubs that invites those sorts of mental comparison games, there's lots more that stands on its own as a decidedly modern form of indie-rock. The vigor with which this outfit embrace this material is what sets it apart from lots of their peers' efforts these days. The Tubs are making fantastic tunes on their own terms, and in a style that while in debt to their influences, still is wonderfully distinct. A few years from now, some group will be trying to recreate what's on Cotton Crown. The circle goes on and influences are incorporated into something that influences others. And the music here is so good that a few listens made me want to pick up a guitar.
Cotton Crown by The Tubs is out on Trouble in Mind Records.
[Photo: Robin Christian]