Each album cover is hand printed using letterpress and woodcuts and it’s this attention to detail that has served Star Wheel Press well in their first ventures to the market, bringing a unique twist on alternative folk music. With storytelling lyrics delivered in the deep bass tones of frontman Hannigan, this album will wash over your ears like a soothing balm to a cold hard heart. For those who appreciate the rumblings of Johnny Cash or the twang of a good old Neil Young melody, Star Wheel Press bring a refreshing individual album that I find all rather comforting, real, true, gentle and warm with a laidback lazy feel yet recorded so precisely and professionally.
Any cautious listeners are immediately put at ease with the self deprecating ‘Write A Novel (Modern Loss)’. Sweet backing vocals are provided by Kirsten Adamson of the Gillyflowers, perfectly complimented by the well executed pedal steel guitar and upright bass. Perhaps pre-empting comparisons, ‘All Friday Night (Homage to Van Morrison)’ is an apt title for the Northern Irish drawl that surely and steadily threads through a stunning first album. Newcomers from Perthshire, the band sound like they’ve served their time in smoky bars all through Nashville. Opening track ‘Railway Lines’ has already had a spin on Lauren Laverne’s BBC6 music show and if there’s any justice will be sure to make its way to many other playlists soon.
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