Floating World FW039
Released Feb 17th 2014
Irish troubadour pours his heart out on his ‘break-up’ album
Born and brought up in Belfast but more recently a resident in Australia, this is Andy White’s 11th album and he uses every canon in his armoury to articulately tell us he has ‘moved on’ after a traumatic break-up and things are now alright; but could be better.
Opening track Driftin’ harks back to the singer’s Power-Pop days on Stiff Records with slightly psychedelic guitars, overdubs and a chorus; I don’t wanna be free/I don’t wanna be me that the Oasis brothers can only dream of these days.
On track two White reverts to a more recognisable singer-songwriter style with Separation Street; entwining his feelings now with the intensity and circumstances of first meeting his lover all those years previously on a song that will resonate with many people who have encountered the same situation.
It would be wrong to say everything on HOW THINGS ARE is depressing; they’re not; but All It Does is Rain is a beautifully miserable song and White’s soft, worn voice manfully climbs above Domini Forster’s string arrangement on a song that sounds like a modern Buddy Holly folk song.
Closest Thing to Heaven is a blow by blow account of the day ‘she’ decided to leave and when White goes from telling us ‘she’ was the Closest Thing to Heaven (in my heart) to recounting ‘her’ telling ‘him’ that she was Living in a Brand New Hellyou can actually feel the knife sliding between his ribs.
Not everything works on the album; but the songs that do work are bloody good and will either be the soundtrack to hundreds of men and women drowning their sorrows; or as in my own case, make you grateful for what you have and pledge to work harder at the relationship.
Floating World FW039
Released Feb 17th 2014
The Rocking Magpie 