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Album Details

• Artist: Clayhill
• Album: Mine At Last
• Label: Eat Sleep Records
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dadair on 2006-06-12

Could this be the summer where subtlety and craft make a Canute like stand against the customary riff heavy guitar craze? Clayhill, similar to contemporaries Adem, have come up with an offering that takes a step back, instrumentally speaking. In the case this Staffordshire outfit, they do this in order to propel the troubled vocal gait of Gavin Clark. This mirrors the commanding narrative of I Am Kloots' Johnny Bramwell and sticks out in 'Surfer Nol', as it keeps the crisp accompaniment in a vice-like grip in order to cleanse the soul.
Blues soul is delicately dropped into the mix via 'One Nerve', with a clattering percussive element giving Olafur Olafsson the chance to shed the subtle beat melody straight jacket, as he opens out his range to undertake an intriguing experiment. The winter tour with Beth Orton has helped the guys focus on their ability slowly craft a song and to ooze out contrasting feeling as the number builds. 'Hang On' and the brisk accompaniment featuring previous single 'Halfway Across', exemplify this point. The blues spirit of 'Man Sol' features creaky vocals that portray a worrisome touch to add another notch of feeling to this offering. 'Mine At Last' is, in essence, an album that resurrects the spirit of longing by twisting the lyrics delicately inside the winding accompaniment. Many people feel is something that this is the sole remit Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. Well, they're wrong!

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