The Longcut - Open Hearts [Album]

Melodic

I remember getting rather excited about The Longcut after first seeing them in 2004 on a bill with the almost-as-unknown Nine Black Alps and Bloc Party at Manchester’s Bierkeller, and then again at a house party in Withington (again with Manchester associates NBA). What excited me back then was how much the band took the genuinely great bits of the city’s genuinely great bands, ignoring all the derivative and overtly masculine nonsense that way too many people overrated us for, and moulded them into the best attempt by ‘a band’ to make dance music in ages. And I wasn’t the only one – if commercial success eluded them, then critical acclaim certainly did not. Their 2006 debut album “A Call And Response” received largely glowing reviews, and singles such as ‘Transition’ and ‘A Quiet Life’ earned their place on the playlists of the nation’s more astute indie club DJ’s.

So after parting company with Deltasonic, the trio of drummer / vocalist Stuart Ogilvie, guitarist Lee Gale and bass player Jon Fearon, took their time and set about writing and recording the follow-up, bringing Nine Black Alps guitarist David Jones in on production and releasing it through the less demanding independent label, Melodic. And now that it's here, opening track ‘Out at the Roots’ wastes no time in substantiating the album’s title, with Ogilvie opening his heart and stating his intent from the off, first with a frustrated shout and then with the lines "You can’t say we didn't warn you, you should have listened when you could...get on those dancing boots, we’re gonna tear this poison out at the roots”. It’s certainly a vehement start to “Open Hearts”, but then I guess three years away will leave you something to say, and a desire to say it.

Whilst "Open Hearts" has plenty of other exuberant moments, such as the central trio of ‘Evil Dance’, ‘You Can Always Have More’ and the fantastic title track, The Longcut have always known how to slow things right down and make their point more steadily. The album’s three most serene tracks, for the most part anyway, ‘Tell You So’, ‘Mary Bloody Sunshine’ and ‘The Last Ones Here’, are also three of the four longest (not that The Longcut ever write three minute pop songs). Even when working at this pace though, guitarist Lee Gale still can’t resist causing beautiful destruction with his axe, just as he does half way through ‘Tell You So’. His innovative guitar work is still prevalent, as are the suitably monotone vocals of Ogilvie. Never has a man’s limited range sounded so welcome and at home, allowing the always-impressive instrumental parts to display the emotion.

Five years on from my first encounter with The Longcut, it pleases me greatly that The Longcut are still making music on their own terms, doing their best to avoid categorisation and continuing to explore the possibilities of guitar, bass and drums; the pace, rhythm and volume at which they can work. The Longcut have always been a long shot – let’s hope they’ll always be those of us willing to have a punt.

Track List:
01. Out At The Roots
02. Something Inside
03. Tell You So
04. Evil Dance
05. You Can Always Have More
06. Open Hearts
07. At Any Time
08. Mary Bloody Sunshine
09. Repeated
10. Boom
11. The Last Ones Here