This is lush as hell. I’d heard many good things about The Lyndsay Diaries, but in a day when acoustic emo immediately rings the Dashboard Confessional bell, I wasn’t in the mood for any contrived ‘oh-no my girl’s left me and I want to cry’ ringing. Because of that, I put off purchasing this record until about a month ago, when I finally convinced myself The Militia Group don’t put out bad records and that this CD would not let me down. It didn’t. Infact I’d go on to recommend wholeheartedly that anyone with a passing interest in heartfelt, melodic rock songs gets into Scott Windsor’s band.
‘The Tops Of Trees Are On Fire’ is a wonderfully crafted record which never disappoints. It centres around Mr Windsor, an acoustic guitar and his vocals, and these are always spot-on. The story behind The Diaries is a tragic one – Scott and a friend where involved in a horrific car crash which left the friend paralyzed. In a bid to raise cash for his medical bills, Mr Windsor played at a benefit concert and those present were so impressed that the band was born. The Militia Group soon snapped him up and the fruits of his labour are laid down on this CD. It’s passionate and caring and warm, with each song wrapping itself around a threadbare acoustic guitar riff. Tracks like ‘Mix Tapes and Memories’ and the album’s title-track are great singalong efforts, while the haunting ‘The Consequences Of Learning How To Fly’ is a joy, with its “is this as real as it gets” refrain really taking hold.
There will always be Dashboard comparisons, but the truth is that this record is far superior to anything Chris Carraba has churned out. There’s more passion, more emotion and the whole thing is less contrived. From the opening bars to the final strums, this record oozes quality. Some may call it whiney, others can whinge about it not having any ‘balls’, but this is stripped down loveliness.
Paul