The Pheromoans – Wyrd Psearch

Upset The Rhtyhm

For The Pheromoans‘ latest despatch from the quotidian trenches, they return to Upset The Rhythm after quite a break with a set of tracks that settle in with the listener.

Russell Walker‘s dreamy, louche delivery is ferried by the awkward rhythms and funky wandering bass that we have come to know over such a career. The grooves are often quite forceful and the guitar runs around in circles attempting to settle down but unable to; an antithesis to the gently questioning vocals. The spacey keys that appear from time to time are an unexpected treat and the whole thing bowls along at a fair old lick.

You imagine the singer lurking on the beach, dreaming of the perfect sunset while all around, things go awry and the world does its damnedest to upset his equanimity. Everywhere guitar lines sparkle; a quicksilver flash on “The Inland Road” or with the warmth of a hula melody on “00’s Wyrking”. The songs take opportunities to break down and dissipate, re-arranging their molecules while cymbal strikes stretch in the afterglow.

The keys kick in some momentum on “Twibbon Wife”, while the few notes of the whirlpool bass deliver much joy. It’s interesting as the album is a bit of a game of two halves, the first side containing seven tracks squeezed into about nineteen minutes and the second allowing things to spread out a little bit. The five minute-plus “It’s A Little Bit Different” is indeed a little bit different; heavier and more deliberate, it pushes harder with more distortion. The drummer never misses a beat and the background voices add further intrigue.

There seems to be more space for the ideas to stretch out here, found voices dropping in random thoughts while the lolloping drums and circular guitar of “Compound Shock” finds reflection in the lyrics “I look up in the sky and see my grandparents”. Some personal feelings allow a little warmth to filter through and the bass really reflects that on “Cropped To Death”, its dreamlike atmosphere leaking into the final track that thrills to that chiming guitar sound so beloved of Johnny Marr and the like.

It is a vibrant conclusion to another journey that finds The Pheromoans still with plenty to say and fine ways of telling us.

-Mr Olivetti-