adultcontemporary.co.uk

fez album review

september 2005

Artist - Trashcan Sinatras; Album - Fez; Label - Picnic

Rating 9/10

Glasgow has been responsible for some of the UK's best acts (even if you ignore the obvious ones like Travis). Once set for some massive stardom on the back of some remarkable music in the early 90s, the band started drifting a little, as did a few others when 'commercial' became less about obvious standout talent, and more about golden hotpants and fake R&B. Like a cross between the Smiths and Blue Nile, with more than a bit of James in there, the beauty of this band is still breathtaking. Fortunately, they never went away, and have continued to record. This album, a collection of acoustic live performances recorded in New York City, is gorgeous. Including a sweep through their best-known music and all four albums, Fez points up the benefit of looking to bands that can really write and play, rather than always looking for the new thing. You won't hear a better collection of songs on any new album this year.

This review originally appeared on adultcontemporary.co.uk