Shack "HMS Fable" (1999)
I'd initially put this one on while I was cooking dinner. I was
listening to the first track thinking "oh yeah I think I know what this
one is about - sounds like a bit of 90s brit rock, like Oasis but with a
touch of Suede. But then that first track "Natalie's Party" breaks
from its rowdy-yet-melodic rock to drop in a nice little string
section. I decided I needed to give the album a bit more of my
attention rather than having it as background music.
I've listened to it a couple of times through now and there are
certainly some swirly rock tracks that have more than a hint of the
'Madchester' sound but this album is all over the place in an
interesting way.
There's bouncy melodic "Lend's Some Dough"
with its beautiful layered vocals. "Captains Table" has a dreamy,
folky vocal-heavy sound not unlike the last Tripping Daisy albums before
they transitioned into Polyphonic Spree. "The Streets of Kenny"
somehow manages to build a mellow, vocal laden track into what feels
like a crescendo before suddenly cutting out and dropping you into
"Re-instated" which, with its strings and mellow trumpet parts almost
seems to hint at Burt Bacharach. After a couple of more guitar-heavy
tracks, the album closes out with the delicate acoustic "Daniella".
