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For every revolution the music scene radar has been making over the last few years, some bands have been falling off the map faster than Keith Richards from a palm tree. However, thankfully, some signals have continued to get stronger and unquestionably one of those belongs to the New Rhodes.
Considering they formed in 2001, it’s perhaps a surprise that, ‘Songs From The Lodge’ is their debut album. Most new bands literally can’t afford, let alone wait, to see themselves in HMV. However, this patient quartet decided early on to learn their musical craft before rushing out their first album - and it’s a plucky tactic that’s already proven lucrative. As well as supporting Bloc Party, Razorlight and The Killers, they’ve already had two charting singles, including the top 40 single, ‘You’ve Given Me Something That I Can’t Give Back'. Add their significant Japanese fan base to these facts and one wonders why they haven’t taken over the world yet. Well, one step at a time!
The album starts strongly with the aforementioned, ‘You’ve Given Me Something That I Can’t Give Back’. Slowly emerging from the hypnotic intro is a crisp and concise drum beat that if you think, ‘So Here We Are,’ it’s not hard to see how they fit in nicely supporting Bloc Party. But wait! It’s taken 5 years to arrive, so the question that needs to be answered by the album is – Can the supporting band now become the headliners? Well, as the next 11 tracks unfold the answer is an emphatic, yes.
Now the bar has been set, New Rhodes leap into the powerful, ‘I’m Bored Of You,’ where lead singer, James Williams, defiantly yelps, “Well you want me to change, you want me to change, Well I never will.” Never has defending yourself felt, or rather, sounded so good. Similarly the lyrics of, ‘When We Were Young,’ rather candidly evoke this idea of a deteriorating romance; while musically, the poignant riffs mean you feel the sadness as well. It’s this that the New Rhodes do impeccably. Consistently, there’s a correlation between the lyrics and music which means you don’t just appreciate what’s being said, the melody implores you live it as well.
It’s no surprise to learn two of the bands influences are, The Smiths and The Strokes. In, ‘She Said No,’ particularly, Williams’ voice embodies Morrissey’s wistful fascination while the rest of the band hit us with a cheeky riff that the New Yorkers would be proud of. By no means are they a colossal tribute band however. The album highlight, ‘The History Of Britain’ confirms this. Its anthemic sound, well worthy of the bigger stage, rises and falls in vivacity while being juxtaposed with Williams’ upsetting message, “It’s time to go, this place has changed”. Likewise, ‘Open Your Eyes,’ is every bit a rousing, punchy guitar driven tune, and well worthy of a mention.
The album penultimate track is the wonderfully entitled; ‘We’ve Only Got Our Yesterdays Now’, which is a soft and more cryptic song, detailing the impending end of a relationship. The records finale, ‘A Different Time’, provides a fitting, if somewhat melancholy conclusion, and, in case the lyrics aren’t enough to set you off you’ll certainly need the Kleenex when the Strings come in!
Both charming and romantic, lyrically, ‘Songs From The Lodge’ takes you on a subliminal journey that encompasses both the ups and downs of life that put it into quite a sad perspective. It’s a tribute, therefore, to the talented musicianship that listening to it is both uplifting and optimistic. The album may have been a while in coming, but the result proves it’s been well worth the wait.
