Labels: Hobbledehoy
Review by: MH
Is this the same Jamie Hay who has made 7 starting appearances and 23 as a substitute for Alloa Athletic in Scotland? I think not “” unless the 21-year old footballer has previously forged a reasonably lengthy career in various Australian bands including the now defunct punk band, A Death In The Family. He is the latest punk frontman to move into the solo field with this, his debut solo album. He does have a band in tow here though with input from the likes of Carl Burnett from Arrows and Lincoln Lefevre as well as some former band-mates. Some of the later tracks are stripped down and acoustic too. It’s wistful and downbeat in the main with personal lyrics and tales – some tragic. Although he is following a well-trodden path, he mixes it up a bit with a haunting a capella track called “ The Gift Of Years”, which is desperately sad and quite haunting, and the stellar instrumental “Interlude” halfway through the album – 67 seconds of really cool, wistful guitar with a slight amount of slide on it. I would definitely like to hear more of this type of thing. What I like about this album is the levels of sadness partly thanks to some of the lyrical themes. The aforementioned a capella track is sung from the perspective of an old man revisiting the grave or place where his fellow soldiers died 75 years previously and there is another track about a missing child. Nice and sombre album all round. Very likely to appeal if the likes of PJ Bond and Jen Buxton are your thing.