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The bespectacled Reid twins have often met with stifled titters. It's
easy to remember the slightly late '80s cheesiness of I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles
and Letter from America but, when you think about it, they were really good
songs. So good in fact that Comic Relief can adopt them as their official
single and it doesn't seem to do anyone's career any harm.
Not that they would need the likes of Peter Kay and Matt Lucas to revive
interest in them. The Proclaimers never really went away. Whilst they've
never truly followed up on their early successes south of the border, this
Scots duo have had a great year, including a musical based on their work
(though you'd be pleased to know this was not written by Ben Elton). They've
also appeared on Family Guy - blimey!
By my reckoning this is their seventh album proper and their trademark
sound doesn't appear to have shifted a great deal since the days of 500
miles. The brothers have adopted an "If it ain't broke don't fix it"
approach and who can blame them? This album is also released under the W14
music imprint, which is run by their first producer and A&R man, so it feels
a lot like a homecoming of sorts.
On the surface The Proclaimers are a powerful, toe-tapping singalong act,
but lyrically there's a lot of passion and conviction. Some of the most
memorable songs on this album tackle subjects as diverse as hypocritical
left-wing honour-seeking celebs, misogyny in gangsta rap and the so called
war on terror. New Religion attacks those to worship false idols and
S-O-R-R-Y reflects on Elton John's assertion that sorry seems to be the
hardest word, asking why no one apologises for the Iraq situation.
But this is
far from being a depressing album. The title track is a stomping and uplifting
jaunt and it's difficult not to warm to their powerful vocals on any of the
songs. Blood Lying On Snow is also a great track about lust, not love, and
it maintains a powerful traditional folk vibe best sung late at night over a
whisky in a pub.
This might be a ride through familiar territory but The Proclaimers
specialise in steadfast song writing and this is sure to satisfy their
legions of fans. They're easy to dismiss, but with an open
mind this album is difficult to dislike. The Proclaimers are still walking the 500 mile walk.
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