Back in the nurturing arms of former collaborator/meeter of girls Edwyn Collins, King of the Waves is the most intense effort from the already powerful Nottingham trio. The surf-inspired title, while apt in some aspects, only hints at what the listening experience is like. From the warbly psych-out of Precious Pressure to the rockabilly-tinged Now We’re Nowhere, proceedings move along with jackhammer-like intensity. Cuts like the surging Tip It Over find singer Barrie Cadogan, who at times can be a little one-note, in his finest swaggering rock star mode, sounding like a John Lennon-Noel Gallagher lovechild. What a mental picture that is. The surf quotient is best represented by I Can’t Wait, complete with a funky drum pattern and cowbells. The vision of sweaty smoke-filled studio sessions is probably not too far from reality. King of the Waves is, suffice to say, a fun ride. Whether you’ll be listening to it in 20 years time when music is stored on a chip in your brain is up to debate.
Little Barrie: King of the Waves
