The brave and ever salient The Salient Braves are back, and it has been too long. When we last heard from the Barnsley, UK project headed by songwriter Matt Bailey it was October 13, 2013 and we were reviewing their fine Someplace Sordid EP (link). Today, they present They Must Have Seen Me Coming EP on Broken Down Records. As was the case with the previous EP, the record starts out with a perfect slice of guitar pop. And as in 2013, it is the title track leading the way and winning the listener's heart. Beginning with the inquiry "Have you ever seen a grown man cry?", the jangling guitars and jaunty arrangement pull us in to our hero's lament. You just can't stop listening after a song like this one.
Two more original songs, "The Great Unwashed" and "Odd Couple" follow. In my view, while the presentation changes to a more pensive mood and lower tempo, the quality doesn't lessen a bit. "Odd Couple", in particular sneaks up on you and hits you squarely; a treasure of a song with a great hook in the chorus. The fourth track is a cover of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion". It is well done and shows that Mr. Bailey has good taste (in 2013 he covered The Kink's "Waterloo Sunset", so it isn't an accident). The EP closes with the tongue in cheek "X-Factor Killing Spree".
All in all, great stuff. And if you are on the fence, know that your purchase price will not allow Mr. Bailey to add to his fleet of Bentleys and Lear Jets, as all proceeds from sales of digital downloads and CDs will be donated to a non-profit raising awareness of and offering support to those affected by male suicide (a lot of Spurs fans will benefit from that, no doubt).
Bandcamp for They Must Have Seen Me Coming EP
Bandcamp for other songs from The Salient Braves
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