{"id":20728,"date":"2016-06-04T15:30:16","date_gmt":"2016-06-04T14:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=20728"},"modified":"2016-06-05T11:45:26","modified_gmt":"2016-06-05T10:45:26","slug":"northern-souls-barnsleys-salient-braves-kick-up-the-80s-on-new-five-track-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2016\/06\/northern-souls-barnsleys-salient-braves-kick-up-the-80s-on-new-five-track-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"NORTHERN SOULS – Barnsley’s Salient Braves Kick Up The ’80s On New Five-Track EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"New<\/p>\n

The minute I put on this EP I was transported back to the halcyon days of the mid-Eighties when digital watches were cool, mobile phones were the size of breeze blocks and jangly indie pop dominated John Peel’s Festive 50.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Salient Braves<\/strong>‘ shambling sound is shot through with nostalgia, reviving the spirit of the ’80s for the social media generation.<\/p>\n

The Barnsley-based combo\u00a0clearly share a kinship with many of the great Northern bands of that era, including The<\/strong> Housemartins<\/strong>,\u00a0Half Man Half Biscuit\u00a0<\/strong>and David Gedge<\/strong>‘s oft-underrated\u00a0Wedding Present<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There’s a familiar warmth and wry wit in these tales of wasters with a fondness for beer, betting shops and nights on the town.<\/p>\n

Announcing itself with a plaintive ‘Have You Ever Seen A Grown Man Cry?’, title track\u00a0They Must Have Seen Me Coming<\/em><\/strong>, is a darkly comic snapshot of the life of a loser who gets his kicks ‘from the ringing the bookies’ till’.<\/p>\n

The impecunious-sounding\u00a0Johnny Nocash<\/strong>‘s guitars recall Housemartins’\u00a0Happy Hour<\/strong><\/em>, while songwriter\u00a0Matt Bailey<\/strong>‘s multi-tracked vocals offer sumptuous harmonies.<\/p>\n

There’s more black humour to be found on\u00a0The Great Unwashed<\/strong><\/em>,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>wherein the protagonist can’t even be bothered to get out of bed, while third track\u00a0Odd Couple<\/strong><\/em> features a clever call and response chorus in its examination of the classic ‘can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em’ conundrum.<\/p>\n

There’s a fairly straight cover of\u00a0REM<\/strong>‘s\u00a0Losing My Religion<\/strong><\/em>, before Bailey literally takes a pot shot at reality TV on\u00a0X-Factor Shooting Spree<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

In a manner reminiscent of\u00a0Morrissey<\/strong> on\u00a0Margaret on the Guillotine<\/strong><\/em>, Bailey casually croons about an afternoon spent cheerfully mowing down X-Factor hopefuls.<\/p>\n

Simon Cowell<\/strong>‘s fondness for the high-wasted trouser is mercilessly lampooned\u00a0and\u00a0Big Brother<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0I’m A Celebrity…<\/strong><\/em> also come in for some stick.<\/p>\n

Neil Ritchie<\/strong>‘s no nonsense production keeps things fresh and clear, with the odd brass flourish and this is a promising foretaste of the Brave’s debut album scheduled\u00a0for release next year.<\/p>\n

They Must Have Seen Me Coming<\/em>\u00a0is available for pre-order through Broken Down Records\u00a0on this link<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Catch Salient Braves live at the Calmapalooza<\/a>\u00a0benefit in aid of CALM in Huddersfield on 30 July.<\/strong><\/p>\n