Anvie Kay
Star Rating: ★★★
Three Cheers for the Undertaker was released mid-way through this month and it’s already received raving reviews from The Line of Best Fit, The 405, Shout for Music, Rough Trade and Q Magazine.
And there’s no wonder! Lost Calvary’s rustic sound begins the moment Secret Steps opens the album with a compelling and timeless vibe to every note sung, strummed and hit. Snow City Radio follows with a more upbeat nature, but retains the rural vibes from the opening song.
But by the time Stars Are Ripe and Stare Out To Sea hit the speakers, your ears are transported to a mystical place. Mystery oozes from the first note all they through to the last and you just feel as though you’re a child discovering the good and bad things in life all over again.
The Elephant of Castlebar Hill and Fara Fara follow in suit with their playfulness, but begin to sound a little more like a foreign film. It’s as though, you’re the protagonist discovering new a love and are disappointed with the uncertainties, but are clinging to the possibility of forever. Think Once or Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Only Forward is my favourite song on the album. It’s stripped back and the vocals really shine. There’s a hint of nonchalance in the lyrics that is carried through the acoustics that surrounds the song beautifully.
Desert Tracks takes the tempo back up, and you feel like you’ve travelled back in time and you’re listening to a Beatles classic! I know that’s a big comparison, but it seriously does! Listen to the song for yourself and see if you agree. But you really do get a hit of both Lennon and McCartney in the vocals.
The tempo descends once more as Telescope and King of Kings find their way through the speakers. They blend together so well that you’d think they were one song. So much so that by the time Last Stand booms it’s way in, you’re transported to the starry lands that the two previous depict.
Mono is the perfect ending to a well-mixed album. It’s another stripped back song, but ends with a bang.
Overall, Three Cheers to the Undertaker is a well-written album, both lyrically and musically. It’s a beautiful balance of fast and slow, yet carries a rustic feel that whole way through. Purchase it on iTunes today.
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