James Skelly

Week 10: the Lathums- From Nothing to a Little Bit More

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After the success of their debut album, it was always going to be a complex task to make the second record just as good or better than the debut. So many have yet to live up to the expectations of their debut because they gave everything to ensure they would spark instant attention, so they appear to fall short either through sheer panic or loss of creativity. Unfortunately, if the second album is a miss, the attention seems to dwindle, and you fall down the pecking order on the festival bill. After “How Beautiful Life Can Be”, could “From Nothing to a Little Bit More” live up to the expectations the fans and listeners demanded?

Well, although the album is more in-your-face this time. There is still that formula the band used from the debut. The biggest shock, despite being signed to his label, is the band hasn’t brought in the Coral’s James Kelly on production and opted for Jim Abiss, who produced the Artic Monkeys record “Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not” and of course “19” and “21” by Adele. As you can see from the albums mentioned that Jim has a good track record of producing brilliant records. The opener ‘the Struggle’ further proves Jim’s pedigree.

The song is about a relationship split, where once again, just like he did on the reflective tracks on the debut, Alex Moore bares his soul. It may be a slow song, but the tempo goes up in the chorus fit for the arenas and festivals they will be playing in shortly. A few fans think this is when Alex is at his best.

Four teasers were released before the album, and the consensus appears that the former is the best. However, I beg to differ. ‘Sad Face Baby’ sounds similar to the Stereophonics and a bombastic chorus where Alex belts it out. The same goes for ‘Say My Name’. Yes, reflective songs are good from time to time, but it is the energetic ones that get the crowd going, like the two mentioned above. 

You would have noticed upon listening that the album is packed with attitude and full-on rock. Still, as with any record and during live performances, the tempo inevitably drops to settle everyone down. ‘I Know Pt 1’ is a slow-tempo track with a plodding soft electric guitar, which reminded me of 50 rock or ‘Unchained Melody’ by the Righteous Brothers. It surprised me because I wasn’t expecting a band full of 20-somethings to use that concept. Many would struggle to know who Buddy Holly is, yet alone be able to know the kind of melodies adopted in that era. Then another slow one is ‘Lucky Bean’, and I could hear ‘Rotterdam’ by the Beautiful South.

Their albums are pretty balanced in their career so far. The attitude and reflective tracks share them. I do not see any issue with this, but some out there would rather have a record packed with energy and less reflective moments. It could be what the band is known for when they go into the studio. As long as it makes a live performance flow, who cares? 

It was a surprise when fan favourite ‘Crying Out’ didn’t make it on the debut, and it is even more of a surprise that the band included it on this album when the four-year-old song was not considered good enough before. The track in question is part acoustic, part electric. The song begins with Alex singing softly over an acoustic guitar before the song explodes, with Alex screaming out the vocals to match the tempo. Because the fans class it as their favourite, and it was well received on the ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ tour, I imagine the band only felt it was right to include it on their second record.

Alex’s songwriting has improved since the debut, evident on the closer ‘Undeserving’, their ‘Champagne Supernova’ moment. The song is eight minutes. I prefer this to the debut. The songwriting is better, and the overall production will be brilliant when they promote on the road.

9/10

Song recommendations: ‘Sad Face Baby, ‘Lucky Bean’, ‘Crying out’

Week 39: the Lathums- How Beautiful Life Can Be

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I have heard of this four-piece band from Wigan (Yes, the same place as the Verve.)since 2016. So, I know an awful lot about them through followers on Twitter. They used to post videos of the band and do polls on the next up-and-coming talent. Indeed, I wasn’t unfamiliar with the Lathums when listening, but I was excited to hear what their album would be like. It was like I did with the Snuts I mentioned before; I also knew of them before their debut record was released. Frontman Alex Moore has also worked with someone else I knew through Twitter followers, and I have personally engaged with the highly talented Rianne Downey (Look out for her. She’s only just getting started in the mainstream.).

Unfortunately, the Lathums signed just before the pandemic hit, so instead of spending most of 2020 touring, they had to find other ways to get their music across. The band hadn’t been out on the road doing arenas and festivals before this year save for their 2019 appearance at Kendal Calling at the request of the Charlatans frontman, Tim Burgess. The band played in small venues like public houses before this year. The biggest being their local called the Crown.

One pro from the pandemic, and with everything locked down, was that the band could focus entirely on the writing and the sound without any distractions. The title has a hint of irony about it because the record is quite melancholic. Of course, that is alright because the likes of the Smiths and Oasis pulled it off well. They made the melancholy blend into relatively upbeat instrumentals. Alex has said that sadness encourages him to write because it is hard for him to write when he isn’t feeling sad. He believes that writing while feeling down in the early days gave him the ability to connect emotionally once turned into a song. It wouldn’t surprise me if Alex were a fan of the Smiths.

Coral’s frontman, James Skelly, is on production, and of course, James brings his band into the sound, but I can also hear the Smiths, the Libertines, and Space, who are from Skelly’s native Liverpool. Alex looks like Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson from of Monsters and Men, but they also sound vocally alike in some ways. However, Alex has his unique style and is more soulful than Raggi. You could also assume Alex sounds a bit like Marcus Mumford because Raggi does, too. 

The album opens with ‘Circles of Faith’, and despite its upbeat nature, my ear was immediately drawn to how much it sounded like the Smiths. Some might argue it is more like the Stone Roses, but I do not share that opinion. I also felt the same on ‘Fight on’ and several more on the record. The latter is full of heart-wrenching lyrics like, “There are tears in my eyes as I am forced to fight against an occupation. One greater than I”. This is a pop at the establishment, and many of us in the arts feel this way. I also found the band got political on ‘the Great Escape’ as well.

Things start to get calmer on ‘I’ll Get By’ as the acoustic guitar appears and the Lathums go more folk. As usual with that genre, the song reflects on mistakes made during a relationship and how you need your significant other to save you from feeling pain. ‘I Won’t Lie’ reminded me of the Libertines. Can I elaborate? I am not sure I can because the Libertines have always played at that tempo most of the time. It sounds like the kind of song associated with the Libertines. Then, ‘I See Your Ghost’…well, from a band from Wigan, it has its roots in Liverpool. It’s uncanny how much it sounds like them. As I mentioned earlier, there is an element of Space somewhere in the record, and this is it. 

Again, you have heard that adage, “Where is all the guitar music?” as mentioned in the Snuts review, it is here. It’s all here: the Lathums, the Snuts, Citylightz, Skylights, HoneyMotel, the Crooks, Rivieras. Even Rianne Downey is going to take the British folk scene by storm. Just open your ears, and you will find that guitar music isn’t dead.

Song recommendations: ‘the Great Escape’, ‘I Won’t Lie’, ‘I See Your Ghost’

9/10