LAZARUS – “HAWK MEDICINE”

Originally embarked upon as a solo project for ex-Tarentel player Trevor Montgomery, Lazarus has become a fully-fledged band, with this album marking the group's first ever attempt at writing and playing together as a unit. It's a move that's clearly paid off, resulting in a set of classic rock-styled songs coated in a lustrous vintage hue thanks to some meticulous engineering work from Jason Quever of The Papercuts. Opening cut 'Story' makes for a great first track, featuring deep blue organ tones and '70s-style languid bass riffing and a killer melody. After the effect-driven ambience of 'Baby True', 'The Sky Of The Tall Sun' sounds like a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Okkervil River (if that makes any sense), leaving you with an amalgam of political narrative and revisionist Americana that hits all kinds of right notes. The krautrock dabblings of 'Disco' break up the flow of trad songwriting, but thankfully not for too long. Tracks like 'Sister' and the slow-rocking organ joint 'Forsaken' underline that Lazarus - appropriate to their name - sound like they've been around for many, many years, making sturdy, occasionally experimental old-school rock. Recommended.