Good lord, it’s great to have new material for Newcastle’s finest, Pale Man Made. Short, sharp, fuzz pop gems are the order of the day, and Pale Man Made are one of those bands that could make even the most committed techno-adherent take up the guitar again. In Leon and Christianne the band is blessed with two distinct but equally essential front persons, Leon lending proceedings a rich, ‘classic’ indie male voice, while Christianne does that ‘singing slightly against’ the melody thing that Evan Dando has down.
Inexplicably overlooked when the record companies of the UK rushed North East a couple of years back, Pale Man Made deserve far more recognition than they’ve received in their half decade of existence. If there was any justice in the world ‘Oh, My Treasured Things’ would bring it to them.
Amongst an almost obscene selection of riches, highlight of the album for me is ‘Pinches’, no doubt about snooker player Barry Pinches (who also lends his name to their label), an heartfelt plea to not give up even when people are saying you should pack up and go home….it could equally be about Pale Man Made as the titular cue wrangler.
At the heart of everything Pale Man Made do is a vulnerable yet defiant humanity, more pronounced in Christianne’s songs, but present throughout. It’s a beguiling mixture of fragile and tough, like picking up a delicate filigree of ice only to find out that it’s strong enough to support the whole World and the weight of all its troubles.