The Dears 'Missiles'

I've never been a fan of The Dears. I bought their last but one album after being told it sounded like The Smiths, obviously I was disappointed when it sounded like nothing of the sort. I decided to give them another try and purchased this one after hearing that pretty much all of the band had left during the recording of 'Missiles', leaving just singer-songwriter Murray Lightburn, his wife, singer/keyboardist Natalia Yanchak and several new recruits. The resulting record is such a labour of love that the band have posted Italo Calvino-style instructions on how to listen to it on their website.

However you choose to hear it, you won't miss the general air of tension and unease that feels the record. Lightburn sounds like a man trying to keep it together whilst everything falls apart around him. "People are saying you're wrong/ but I think you're on to something" he sings on 'Meltdown in A Major' and there are frequent references to work, keeping going and God.

The music is lush and easy on the ears. Guitars and keyboards are frequently embelished by strings and brass. Several songs have extended codas that take them to a different place entirely- this doesn't always work, 'Lights Out' is a pretty lullaby which is transformed rather disappointingly into a prog-epic but on a song like 'Missiles', the build up of tension leads perfectly into the electric guitar driven finale. Similarly 'Meltdown In A Minor' builds into a stirring crescendo and is a portrait of a man on the edge.

There is a lot to take in and this is an hour long album with several songs longer than 6 minutes but The Dears are correct to say that this is a record that should be listened to as a whole. In particular, the final three songs fit perfectly together leading up to 'Saviour' which is an 11 minute epic with a children's choir and a plea for redemption ....way better and more restrained than it sounds!

Through adversity The Dears have made their best and most original record yet.

7.5

['Missiles' is out now on cd only we believe.]