This is another album I had recommended to me. Before this point I hadn’t yet had the pleasure of discovering the bliss of a Willie J Healey record. After a couple of runs through, I felt obligated to feature this LP on Gigmouths’ “Album Highlight”.
Album Run Through
Album opener “Fashun” begins the album strongly with a passionately energetic track, resonating a strong Pulp vibe. The repeating hits of the drums, and stabs of the guitar, create an excellent rhythm to the track. This is built upon seamlessly by the lyrics and lead guitar
Following track “True Stereo” opens the album’s more folky style. The lyrics are delivered superbly, displaying lots of different styles and ranges. The song has a great sing a long chorus and fantastic closing section.
The next track is also a classic indie ballad. “Big Nothing” has a beautiful arrangement of instruments which is paired with a set of lovely lyrics. What results is a concise track that’s just a pleasure throughout.
“Songs For Joanna” is the first single Willie released off the album. It has a refreshing structure that keeps you engaged. The track finishes similar to those before it, bringing in a whining lead guitar and building to a small crescendo before ending.
Title track “Twin Heavy” slows things down a bit. Its a gracefully constructed song which gives the album some breathing room. Its very similar to the music of George Harrison and is almost of the same quality too.
“Sweeter Than Most” brings yet another style into the mix of the album. Its whistling synth making the song instantly distinguishable. Despite this it does not sound out of place in the album. It puts a fresh modern twist on classic pop folk.
The newly introduced synth plays a prominent part in the next two tracks, “Condo” and “For You”. The first is an ambient track with lots of techno influences. “For You” is almost hauntingly delivered, with a backing beat deeply rooted in funk and pop indie.
After a brief absence, the booming guitar songs resume with “Heavy Traffic” and “Why You Gotta Do It?”. “Heavy Traffic” cuts quite deep with its lyrics, showing a darker , more sinister edge to the album. It brings back the 90’s indie rock influences introduced by the LP’s opener. The latter track is another glorious arm waving song, sounding like a 60’s pop ballad.
The album closes out with two slower more sentimental tracks. “Thousand Reasons” uses a simple structure. This emphasises the emotion of the words spoken. “Caroline Needs” closes the album out with a classy touch. The song doesn’t rush itself, and allows the listener to reflect on the album.
Overall Review and Score:
Willie J Healey has crafted an album rooted in folk and indie, but with brilliant flair. He’s not afraid to introduce new structures and instruments to the album at any point, and is equally confident to remove them. Whats impressive about this, is that the record still sounds like a whole piece.
He draws a lot from his inspirations, but brings a fresh twist to the classic songs that influenced him. The sound is much more approachable to a modern audience. The album is very accessible, and there is something here for everyone.
Rating: 7/10
Top 3 Songs:
1. Sweeter Than Most
2. Big Nothing
3. True Stereo
