New Subjangle release ~ "We Are Not There But We Are Here" by Shopfires
About the artiste / release
Forgive me for my generalizations, as such a tendency can and does lead to evil. However, over the years, I have observed certain patterns among the UK population.
Southerners often display a striking optimism, buoyed by the advantages of possessing the majority of the wealth. In contrast, northerners tend to exhibit a wonderfully stoic sense of humour, rooted in the realization that tomorrow will mark the 117th consecutive day of cold, wet weather that they must endure.
In between the two lies the Midlands. Here residents of towns like Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Leicester, West Bromwich, Coventry, and Dudley respond to the harsh realities of industrialization with a refreshing honesty that can be disarming if not appreciated in the right way. If you ask a Midlander, "Do I look fat in this?" they will candidly tell you exactly how much weight you've gained, how you got to that point, and what steps you need to take to change it.
Over the course of two albums and an EP with our Subjangle label, Midlands native Neil Hill and his Shopfires solo recording project augment the beautiful aesthetic of his music with an intense sense of matter-of-fact, almost brutal honesty that is aided simultaneously by song titles that may touch upon the less salubrious circumstances of his upbringing and the subtleties of a jangly musical melancholy that sits perfectly alongside labelmates such as Fine, The Boltons, and The Melancholic Men.
There is a noticeable, albeit subtle, shift in this third album, We Are Not There But We Are Here, that enhances Neil Hill's growing reputation for uncovering beauty in creeping sadness.
The change is most evident in the impressive opening sequence of "Stealing Groceries," "You Can't Live Without Me," "1982," and "Could Murder You." The previously dense, dank, and dulcet quality of his music has transitioned to a lighter production and a different aural texture. This is complemented by incidental jangled riffs that flutter with less precision compared to the dominant isolated riffs found in his earlier work, creating a fresh kind of melancholy instead of one that is overly sweet.
Committed fans, and there are many these days, will still find enough of the previously 'dank' quality in his tracks, such as the straightforward 'absolute tunes' of "I Will Remember You" and "A Spark Ignites." In contrast, a more opining, mellifluous signature sound dominates "I'm Not Coming Home Tonight" and "Lichen On The Ramparts."
The stock of Shopfires/Neil Hill has significantly increased in just eighteen months since he began releasing music in his vibrant corner of Bandcamp. Fortunately, this release, We Are Not There But We Are Here, demonstrates that his artistic vision is not confined to uniformity, which is essential for achieving lasting musical success.
