Review Summary: Fun. Fresh. Rocking & A Touch Of Nostalgia
Winding the clock backwards a few weeks, I found myself wandering the isles of my local music store hunting for a copy of the latest album by The Gaslight Anthem. I was so excited upon finding it I quickly grabbed a copy and almost knocked the stack of albums next to it to the floor. Whilst fixing up the stack of album I noticed the album was titled ‘The Brightest Light’ by a local band King Cannons. The name sounded very familiar, yet I hadn’t heard this band, but someone had definitely told me how good they were. After a few moments of deliberating I decided to take a gamble and buy the album; not something I often do with my hard earned money. Something about the albums cover, the way the band was dressed and the fact that it was sitting right next to The Gaslight Anthem on the shelf intrigued me enough to make a relatively unknown album seem worthwhile.
From the initial bongo tapping and tambourine clapping that opens the first track on the album ‘Stand Right Up’ you can sense there are some fun times ahead. King Cannons proceed to introduce electric guitar strums and front man Luke Yeowards gruff nostalgic vocals. ‘Stand Right Up’ traces its own way through passionate rock n’ roll by not following any particular formula and often venturing off into musical piano driven tangents. ‘Too Young’ flares up immediately afterwards with lyrics exclaiming “We’re too young to settle down...” which is a great opening hook, begging you to pay attention and combined with all the musical depth the first track offered. Tempo shifts, upbeat drumming and exciting piano work all intertwine perfectly to keep this album moving forward at a rollicking pace. The song in which the album gains its name from ‘The Brightest Light’ is perhaps the stand out track on the record and is a great emotional rocker. ‘The Brightest Light’ features a slower build-up compared to the opening two tracks and sees the band changing their approach, whilst maintaining elements from their earlier cuts. Lead by a prominent guitar riff, passionate lyrics, heart-warming melodies and for once this is a song that features a harmonica solo that doesn’t sound forced. The harmonica erupts after the second chorus and its infectiousness takes the song up to another level. It’s the kind of addition to a song that makes you want to listen to the whole track again just for that moment.
Although their blend of rock sounds like it’s from days gone by, it’s a refreshing and a much welcomed release to what is flooding the market these days. Throughout the remainder of ‘The Brightest Light’ the King Cannons continue to experiment with interesting blends of rock n’ roll that create an overall organic good old fashioned sound. The result is being pulled back into a time where Australian rock music was incredibly popular and fun to listen too. Tracks like ‘Ride Again’, ‘Shot To Kill’ and ‘The Cool Change’ follow similar styles as the early rocking tracks whilst ‘The Cool Change’ even features a reference to their current city of Melbourne which also put a smile on my face. However on tracks such as ‘Charlie O’, ‘Everyman’s Tale’ and ‘The Last Post’ the band attempts some rather different approaches to their sound and it works. ‘Charlie O’ features some rattling drum work, coastal styled guitar and low vocals which give the whole song a laid back Caribbean feel. ‘Everyman’s Tale’ is a sincere acoustic number with hints of electric guitar wisping around lyrics etched about history. ‘The Last Post’ is slow building, moving piece featuring some of the best lyrics seen on the whole album. Light piano, bright guitar strums and deep base tones help create a create atmosphere to end the album on.
Overall, King Cannons have created a consistent debut album that captures the essence of the past and propels it into the future. They can be compared to the likes of Bruce Springsteen and The Gaslight Anthem, but probably more accurately The Hold Steady. The lyrics on the album are probably the only downfall, at times brilliant and other times sound a little tired. Better song writing will develop over time and they all ready have the musicianship nailed. King Cannons show that all six members that make up the band have something different and unique to bring to the table, which creates plenty of musical depth. From humble beginnings on the street corner with now much bigger venues on the horizon, Luke Yeoward is leading his King Cannons troops in the right direction and it goes to show you hard work does pay off. So if you’re like me and looking for a new album to take a gamble on, put your money on this one and it will pay off.
