Rather than vanishing without trace following the dissolution of Odeon Beat Club, singer Paul Tierney has been keeping himself busy in the past couple of years. This is his second solo album and follows up 2010’s debut Sir I Am A Good Man with 11 tracks which move on the singer-songwriter mantle he’d adopted with a more full sound.
There’s nothing in the CD notes to suggest that he is working with anyone else, but maybe like Malcolm Middleton he uses a band of hired hands to full effect. Indeed, Jim Lang – his producer here – has worked with the former Arab Strap mainman, as well as Ian McCulloch. But there’s no particular comparison there aside from the frantic acoustic guitar strum on the lead and title track which also sports a bright spaghetti western feel.
The tunes are ones which would work as well, one suspects, with a full ensemble of musicians- there’s keyboard washes on many tunes which fill in that typical songwriter space. ‘Jesus The Don and The Dee’ is an echoey tune with acidic guitar and distorted vocals which is close to his old band’s sound. As does ‘Sick Of This Winter’, those big beats are like OBC circa 2005. And also like Frightened Rabbit circa ‘Living In Colour’ – go figure.
Conversely, ‘(they are onto you)’ has that anthemic Britpop feel which would have been what attracted Babyshambles to enlist his former band as support actmore than once.
As they would with just solo guitar as Tierney is capable of making a fair old noise and footstomping tunes which would see the audience fill in on percussion. “It’s a finite time and none of it’s mine” he says on the titular track ‘Lonely Tourist’. One suspects he will be welcome back any time.
The album is out on May 28th, available via bandcamp, with the launch gig 25th May at Stag & Hounds, Bristol.