CD: JDNCCD006
RELEASED: 2006
LABEL: Sour Mash

01. Tie Me Down
02. Butterfly
03. Cup of Tea
04. Shelley Brown
05. Black & White
06. New Day
07. Miles Away
08. Finn, Sophie, Bobby & Lance
09. Moonshine
10. Funny Things
11. Find a Place
12. Closer

If 2003's 'Here's Tom With The Weather' captured a band a little too at ease with their art, 'The Corner of Miles and Gil' captures Mick Head, his brother John, the bedraggled Ian Templeton and scouse rock ?ber-bassist Pete Wilkinson, reunited with the Head brothers for the first time since 'Waterpistol', and not without significance, rediscovering the music that brought them together in the first place and seeing into what wondrous shapes they can twist it. Shack have always been a band to wear their record collections on their sleeve, but this has to be their most adventurous tribute to date. Quite aside from the album title, centre piece 'Miles Away' lifts directly from the jazz legend's 'All Blues', whilst still keeping the raw acoustic soul of their band at the core. It's big, brave and gloriously out of sync with everything else that is being put out in 2006. The same Blue-Note spirit weaves its way through all corners of this album, from John's swinging solo chanson 'New Day' to the mesmeric 'Black and White', where the psychedelic jazz-folk of The Byrds is set alight by John's most incendiary guitar work since 'HMS Fable''s 'Streets Of Kenny'. Of course, the genius of Mick Head is found in his simple, almost childlike, yet always mischievious approach to songwriting that makes his ongoing commercial failure so unfathomable. The Corner of Miles and Gil' pushes the envelope yet further, hiding less behind masses of strings and instead allowing the melodies their own space. Waterpistol', this album could never match, but it's certainly an album to rank alongside it.

Influences / Similar Artists:
The Pale Fountains, The Strands, Nick Drake, Love