The Altered Hours - The Soundhouse, Leicester - 8 December 2014

BLGenius - Street Life, Leicester - 30 January 2015

All the sad young men - Spector

so I saw on NME.com that Spector had a new single out, so I clicked 
on the video, and was listening to it as it played in the background.

... it's very very different to what I last heard from Spector. 

I liked it instantly. very sombre, very early 80's OMD noir .... 
very Editors/White Lies (by way of Joy Division) ... so pretty perfect.

then something got my attention. made me sit up and listen 
(and actually got me RIGHT THERE, you know in your chest, 
when you know a song has affected you, and you could quite easily 
tear up)

it was just the simple repetition of the 'all the sad young men' 
sung 5 times at 3.00 ... so simple yet so affecting. it had me sitting
there, blinking at the screen at it's sheer perfection and power.

eyes now wide open now, fully engrossed. everything about the song
suddenly seemed more intense (and it was, more about that later)

and then I went straight back to the start and listened to the song
again, and paid even more attention now I know how that part
and the end of the song had affected me.


after a solemn beat, the song just starts instantly. hypnotic, inviting.
the first words that are sang meld beautifully with the omni-present 
beat. the lyrics are delivered very, very precise (almost guarded) in a
way that demand you listen and pay attention. power and strength 
coming from the sheer subtlety of it all.

the best thing is you've spent so long marvelling at the music, when
you start actually paying attention to what is being sang, everything
suddenly moves up to a whole different level.

... boys break like promises but only behind closed doors

the thing that I really love is how the song gets more fuller sounding 
as it progresses, layers being added ... until you reach the repeated 
lines mentioned above, and the intensity is multiplied as the song 
almost fans out in a sweeping flourish. like this widescreen epic 
playing out ... engulfing you. and then it suddenly reverts back to 
the mood it began with, ending on sombre notes.

the type of song you want to hold against your chest and cherish.

this reminds you why you put your faith and trust in music in the
first place. 

"all the sad young men" is available now on itunes.