Review Summary: English trio craft ten brilliant guitar-heavy, folk-rock tracks for this, their ninth release.
When first presented to me The Wave Pictures were placed firmly atop an
indie savior pedestal that was shaky at best. While their folksy, noodle heavy guitar rock rife with clever quips and turns of phrase is certainly a beast of its own, they are no second coming. However with their ninth album
Susan Rode The Cyclone they continue to plead their serious case. Released physically only on vinyl (though with accompanying high quality MP3s), the two sides at ten tracks are a brilliant collection of lo-fi tunes with tinges of folk and classic punk, littered with great guitar lines and hooks aplenty. It also does not hurt that they have no pedal prejudice , and regardless of song timing, they still find room to play around with their guitars.
David Tattersall with his at times warble of a voice, dispenses quick witted turns (one after another) that tend to balance their bitter bite with innocent allusions (
We played in a dust cloud/Like Pigpen in Peanuts). For how long they have been making music, this quality always affords him a freshness with each release--his shtick is rarely stale, and is in champion form here. He along with band mates Franic Rozycki and Johnny ‘Huddersfield’ Helm have a knack for melodies and pacing and an honest connection when it comes to their timing. Almost perfectly in tune the trio plays the album without a single hiccup, and
Susan is probably the greatest collection of Wave Picture tracks to date. Fluid and focused the record continues their string of LPs packed with winning folk infused guitar rock that doesn’t let up on the hooks as much as they refuse to skip on the distorted experimental trimmings. The Wave Pictures may not be the saviors of Indie Rock as we know it; but they certainly confirm there is still plenty they’ve left to do with two guitars and a drum kit.
