Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 15/5/06
Label: Sour Mash

Just a couple of years shy of their 20th anniversary, Liverpool brothers in arms - the forever acclaimed but critically maligned Mick and John Head - are still battling to get their songs out there to a small, but dedicated fan base. With "The Corner Of Miles And Gil", Noel Gallagher has stepped in to rescue Shack from the industry ennui that left them without a label and thus, an outlet, for their acclaimed brand of homely electric folk.

So hurrah for that but was it worth a small slice of Noel's millions? Well, opener "Tie Me Down" is a disappointingly polite attempt to tickle the fancy with a tale of domestic bondage that leaves you rather fearing for Mick Head's legendary lyrical incisiveness. "And dad's in the navy so use a granny knot" he muses. It's not exactly "Desperate Housewives" is it? However, things improve quickly, and by the time "Cup Of Tea" creeps up on us, the band is in full-on Byrds mode, Mick sweetly unravelling the story of dropping LSD in your morning brew. The chorus is sublime - massed backing vocals and spiralling, '60s guitar figures - resulting in the album's highlight by approximately eight miles.

Elsewhere, "Black And White" has a spring in its step, a great, if over long, pop song with a suitably chaotic solo and a string-driven finale, while brother John gets in on the act with his acoustic, jazzy, "New Day", the stark instrumentation a perfect accompaniment to a lyric of hope in the face of adversity - the story of Shack itself perhaps? Clearly, the brothers Head love an acoustic guitar, which is fine if you don't mind the lumpy dynamic it can bring to some songs. But when it's picked with real intent, as on "Finn, Sophie, Bobby And Lance", Shack produce classic folk music in its truest sense.

Sadly, the album's last third is notably less successful and compelling, particularly the self-indulgent Find A Place which lacks the lyrical depth and the musicality to justify dedicating almost six minutes of your life listening to it. By the time the Scottish folk inspired "Closer" has played out, it's difficult to escape the feeling of hopes dashed. Noel Gallagher should be applauded for investing time and money into this gentle music, but the Head brothers would do well to add more of a cutting edge to their sound if they're to get across that 20 year finish line in good shape. Now for that cup of tea.

    by Andy Strickland