I’ll admit I didn’t like Alone Aboard the Ark, the third album by The Leisure Society, at first. In comparison with the relaxed folk pop of their debut album Sleeper and 2011’s Into the Murky Water its synths and Brit pop guitars was too much to take in on a first listen; like a band unsure of its direction.
But luckily this is going to be one of those reviews where the cliché of being rewarded for giving an album time comes true. The track Fight for Everyone, written by the band’s singer and chief songwriter Nick Hemming about the Olympics, is a case in point. Layered with synths it sounded a world away from the sweeping chamber pop of old at first. But on further listens it not only reveals itself to be one of this year’s standout pop songs but these new sounds actually suit Hemming’s voice and the band well.
And while the trumpets on this track, as well as One Man and His Fug, sounded busy on first listen, on repeated airings they take the band’s pop to new, uplifting levels.
So what’s behind this change of direction? Quite simply they’ve had access to smart, shiny sonic tools for the first time. While the previous two albums were essentially home recorded this time around they have been given the run of Konk Studios, London, run by none other than The Kinks’ Ray Davies, who is a fan of the band.
Davies must surely have been an influence, particularly in the album’s middle section where Hemmings’ ear for a pop hook on Fight for Everyone, Tearing the Arches Down, the Sober Scent of Paper and All I Have Seen is taken to new levels. The ballsy guitars of Tearing the Arches Down is another new sound to their palette, which has a wonderful swirl to the chorus.
Part of my initial reservation is because the beginning to the album is a little weak. Opener Another Sunday Psalm is among the weakest melodies on the album and the 1950s style guitar on second track A Softer Voice Takes Longer still sounds out of place and has failed to improve on further listens.
But as the melody of Fight for Everyone continues to resonate in my head such quibbles seem irrelevant for a band we are proud to have championed since their roots in Brighton’s Wilkommen Collective of musicians.
It’s worth noting that fellow Collective band The Miserable Rich, which shares members of The Leisure Society, is on a hiatus this year. This innovative and rewarding album from their comrades couldn’t have come at a better time to ensure we still get our Wilkommen fix.
8.5/10
by Joe Lepper
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