Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm
“Hi Andy, A wee while ago I think you used to like my previous band Pylon.”
Yes, yes I did. And Chris Charlton did not have to make a massive reach to guess that there was a fair chance that I’d also enjoy the work of this new band he is doing, a band called Protectors. Protectors is folk from Pylon and Dugong, and that’s a good starting point, the band feels like a natural progression from those guys, playing catchy, bouncy indie rock that taps the nose at Superchunk and the Wedding Present, and also the work of Ted Leo in his various guises from Chisel and beyond. Yet it never heads down the “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” path and rendering the music redundant.
This is an all round solid collection of 10 songs, well pitched and with notable moments such as the slower “Honeymoon?” showing off their song writing skills. The guitars are cranked up enough to keep things interesting and there are plenty of chiming moments straight out of your fave Pylon choons. Plus the distinctive vocals that you’ll still enjoy if you appreciated them the first time around. Here and there things stray from the indie rock template with the punkier “Still Here” gruffing (and funking?) things up a touch, I like it but it stands out a little amidst the rest. At other times they prove they’re getting on a bit by dropping in strings and parping trumpet and whatnot. These elements keep the album from getting samey and work perfectly well in their own right too.
So you have here a resolutely decent slice of indie rock. It feels comfortable and grown up, which is fine by me, I have my moments in those categories too. Protectors write on their website that they “enjoy drinking real ale, watching Arnold Schwarzenegger films and going rambling in the countryside.”, which is quite a triumvurate. I suspect that if you like all those fine things and at least one band mentioned in this review, you will be into Protectors for sure.