Maybe it’s me, but for an English band on Deep Elm does this band actually tour the UK at all? I’ve never seen them in my local toilet anyway. ‘By The Sword‘ is second album by the north-easterners and arguably even more bizarre than the first. Throw in Blood Brothers-esque vocals aside some od time-signatures, instrumentation and a whole range of weirdness. Unique they may be, interesting as well, but Free Diamonds are difficult listening – and it’s not all enjoyable.
Tracks like ‘Hugs and Kisses’ are quite normal by this band’s standards, so the likes of ‘Backpack escape Plan’ and ‘Flamingo!’ are downright weird in comparison. The vocals are definite love/hate marmite material – I personally don’t like them – which give them an eccentric swagger. The tracks are often bass-led too, giving them a foot-tapping (some may even say danceable) quality. That is bar the country-esque ‘My Boxing Days Are Over’, which closes out the record.
It’s a different record and so you have to give Free Diamonds credit for that, but personally I don’t ‘get’ it and, as such, just don’t enjoy it all that much.