Grand National: where to put it?
Uncut apparently labled one track on Grand National’s Kicking the National Habit as: “‘Roxanne meets ‘Born Slippy’ with Alan Rankine, of Associates, on keyboards’. What this means, I have no idea. Even their own website describes them as band “that combines the angular guitars, pounding basslines and heady euphoria of New Order and the Mondays with the metropolitan nouse and witty introspection of bands like Blur,” which again is a bit of a muddle.
What it does show is just how difficult it is to place this album. It is, frankly, a right old mish mash.
I spent a fair chunk of a train ride up to Shrewsbury on Saturday listening to it. I liked it, and I can tell it’s very good; but, partly because it’s so unusual, couldn’t quite get to love it. That’s going to take a bit of time.
You can listen to bits of it here. Oh, and judging by this review of a recent gig (only their third), shows they’re clearly a great, errr, studio band.
UPDATE Further listening reveals hints of 10cc and Hall and Oates…just so you know.