ALBUM REVIEW: Skinny Lister – The Story Is…(Xtra Mile Recordings)
Self-styled shanty punks Skinny Lister have spent the last 10 years picking up new followers at everywhere from the folk circuit to Download Festival.
The London-based six-piece have played huge tours across Europe and North America with the likes of Frank Turner, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, as well as playing festivals and working their way up in their own headline shows from sweatboxes to ever-larger venues.
This is their fourth album, and their most varied yet, and sees them tackle subjects as diverse as putting the wrong fuel in their van (the cringeworthy Diesel Vehicle) to the warning of an imminent nuclear attack (the urgent 38 Minutes).
Not as immediate as previous albums, it’s more of a slow burner, but there’s still plenty to enjoy, even if they’ve taken their foot off the folk-punk pedal a little.
Opener Second Amendment sees them using a reggae beat, as songwriter and vocalist Dan Heptinstall dips a toe into US politics.
Lorna takes centre stage
My Life, My Architecture is one of four songs where co-vocalist Lorna Thomas takes centre stage, and it shows off her vocal range to its full extent, though the song itself is a bit poppy for my liking.
The second song, The Shining, sees them leaning toward funk, and seems like a huge mis-step, while the third, My Distraction, is again very poppy. There’s no doubt Lorna’s got the chops to handle it, but is this what the fans to hear?
Rattle & Roar and Cause For Chorus are more like the sort of call to arms we’ve come to expect from the Listers, while the gentle Stop & Breathe, sang by Dan and Lorna together, is a welcome and lovely change of pace.
Lorna’s breathy Sometimes So It Goes would have been a good closer, but that honour falls to the cumbersomely-titled Any Resemblance To Actual Persons, Living Or Dead, Is Purely Coincidental, which would have provided momentum earlier in the set.
A real curate’s egg of an album then, but it’s still worth making the effort to see Skinny Lister live, as they put on an energy-packed show which will leave you feeling exhilarated. 6/10.
