Lightyear are a pretty strange breed. They have a sound so unclassifiable it actually makes reviewing ‘Call Of The Weasel Clan’ difficult. Still, it’s refreshing to hear a record that avoids the cliche that many bands fall into, of going down a road that has already been walked down many times before. Nobody sounds like Lightyear do, but whether that is a good thing or not is left open for debate. One thing is for sure, you haven’t lived until you see this lot (and their anatomy) live…
‘Call Of The Weasel Clan’ is a brave record. It mixes ska, hardcore, pop-punk and reggae and fuses it all into one big pot. Sometimes it works well, at others it doesn’t. Still, as I said before, you have to admire their bravery for trying something different. So for 30-odd minutes you’re left to buckle up and enjoy the ride. Opener ‘Tread Lightly, Speak Dearly’ is a sign of things to come, thrashing and convulsing through a mess of drums, guitars and brass. And there’s even melody to boot, just incase that floats your boat. If I was nitpicking I’d say that maybe the vocals aren’t quite loud enough in the mix, but hey, I’m no producer.
’24 04′ and ‘Blindside’ are more ska based tracks, but again both fuse all kinds of styles to great effect. The latter builds up very slowly with an interesting use of the tenor sax to begin with. Chas’ vocals are good and the band show that they can rough things up without having to blast through every song at 100mph. The backing vocals (in a gang stylee) are also a nice touch and appear well thought out – this is more than a group of individuals playing along, this is a band, and boy do they let you know about it. ‘Three Basics’ is back to the original in-yer-face Lightyear style, faster, harder, harder and faster – just for good measure. Again the brass section is not overdone and is used in the right places. ‘Bye Rights’ is the first real disappointment, a track that has all the aspects of some of the earlier tracks, but they don’t quite sound right in this mix. Infact it all sounds a bit botched in my book.
Brass is the order of the day again on ‘They Left Today’, a track sure to inspire all the Mad Caddies fans in the world. Close your eyes and for a short while you are magically transported to Santa Barbara. Fans favourite ‘Bomb Ibiza’ is an aural assault – drums and guitars fly at you from all angles for a sonic blast that will have you air drumming like a crazed loon. If this doesn’t get you moving, nothing ever will. ‘Pre-Teen Propaganda’ again fuses a number of styles together, but in my book the vocals are again too low in the mix. Maybe that’s the point and I’ve just missed it – even so I still think it detracts from the quality of the track.
The fast and furious ‘Shatners Bassoon’ whacks the tempo up a notch, yet still retains all the brass and melody you could ever need to get your ass shaking on the nearest dancefloor. The amusingly titled ‘George My Shit’ seems out of sync at the onset but soon seems to correct itself. Not my favourite track on the record, but then it’s not particularly bad either. ‘Positive Outlook’ and the closing ‘A Pack Of Dogs’ on the other hand are far better, the latter a ska-enthused anthem of a song that will once again have you singing along like a man (or woman) possessed.
Lightyear are by no means the finished article, and are possibly better live than on record. But don’t let that put you off checking out another good release from Household Name. Inventive, original and unafraid to take a risk, Lightyear aren’t afraid to fall flat on their arse. And on ‘Call Of the Weasel Clan’ they fall on their feet more often than not. Oh, and they’re from Derby too. Another good British band? What is the world coming to…
Paul