Good things come to those that wait. It’s been over three years since The Wireless Stores first came to my attention, with their fantastic debut ‘Historic Sites of Scenic Beauty #1’. The band’s first full length effort ‘Dust Ghosts’ is finally here, and is once again released through In At The Deep End.
So, for those of you yet to be acquainted with The Wireless Stores, we’ll start with a very brief history lesson. The band are the brainchild of former Bivouac man, Paul Yeadon. They started life as a three-piece but have now added a couple more band members to enrich what was already a very warm and full sound. There is a very strong American influence in much of what the band do, but it’s delivered in a uniquely British style. ‘Dust Ghosts’ takes everything that was so good about the band’s debut and improves upon it. The Wireless Stores, seamlessly blend a mix of musical styles, great song structures and fantastic lyrics to produce something you’ll want to listen to time and time again.
Album opener ’43 pence worth of luck’ gets things off to a great start. It’s a supremely infectious slice of pop rock that showcases everything that is so good about this band. ‘Hello Poison’ is even better, mixing bags of energy and the band’s trademark great lyrics with a simple and very effective song structure. The band’s country leanings are brought to the fore with ‘The unlikely cavalry’ and ‘Scissors as fingers’ slows the pace down to a standstill, with a song dripping with emotion. So, in the space of their first four songs, The Wireless Stores manage to show more versatility and talent than most bands could dream of.
To be honest, there’s not a bad song on here. ‘Chewing Gum Stars’ brings the country element back into play, and features some of the best lyrics on the album. ‘We rattle’ sees us return to driving, melodic rock territory and ‘Not going, gone’ is every bit as beautiful as it was first time around. The album is rounded off perfectly with the title track, which proves to be a fitting swansong to a special album.
The Wireless Stores’ first album may have been a long time in coming but it is certainly well worth the wait. ‘Dust Ghosts’ is stunning. Do yourself, and your music collection, a huge favour and buy this as soon as you can.
www.iatde.com
Mark
