Monday, January 8, 2018

The Granite Shore - Suspended Second

The Granite Shore is one of those musical assemblies that in a former day were often referred to as supergroups.  Helmed by Nick Halliwell, head of Occultation Records and member of The Distractions, joined by Phil Wilson (The June Brides), Steve Perrin (The Distractions), Ian Henderson (The Puddle, and head of New Zealand label Fishrider Records), Arash Torabi, and John Howard, their considerable talents mesh together perfectly with no hint of ego, no agenda other than making the music as good as it possibly can be.  The result is the eight tracks of Suspended Second -- and what music it is!  It is a terrific example of ornate pop, voice in Halliwell's worn but warm vocals.  But the real genius of the project is that thematically it focuses on the messy political and social landscape in which we found ourselves in 2016 and 2017, and succeeds in eloquently addressing those themes without sacrificing the goal of elegant pop music.

Suspended Second is serious, intelligent art, but it also is a great listen.  It is an anguished cry on all of our behalf, expressed via accessible and memorable songs.  The album is available in digital, vinyl (including a deluxe version), and CD via Occultation Records (and Fishrider Records in NZ and Australia).












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Bandcamp for Suspended Second


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