DownTuned

There’s nothing better than witnessing a band delivering on their early promise – and it’s even better when they exceed your wildest expectations. With their second album, Open Hearts, Manchester’s The Longcut have done that and then some.

If, like me, you have ever wondered what Ride might have sounded like had they combined the squalling psychpop of Nowhere with the more expansive and experimental Going Blank Again, the Longcut might just have the answer. It’s not that they sound all that similar, but the potential blueprint laid down by the Oxford quartet back in 1992, before they went all retro, could easily be the starting point for this phenomenal collection of distorted guitar epics. From the monstrous bass buzz – imagine Hooky channeling King Tubby on a bass with strings made of tractor tyres – of opener Out at the Roots, their intent is clear – structured madness that demands to be played through speakers the size of a block of flats. This is dub-prog-psychedelic-noise-rock.

The arrangement of Longcut songs are often defined by their singing drummer, Stuart Ogilvie – the vocals being frontloaded so that he can get back on his stool to beat the living crap out of his drum kit, leading to incendiary, extended instrumental outros that will delight fans of early-90s shoegaze. Those vocals often divide – some complain they are limited – one-pitch, almost flat – but Ogilvie’s impassioned yowl doesn’t dominate as much as it used to. He has increased his range, exploring more of his vocal capabilities and the album is much better for it. The use of the drum machine also lends some of the songs on the album to the dancefloor, especially on Evil Dance, a hulking, melodious techno belter. Tell You So and Mary Bloody Sunshine recall the imperial majesty of Whirlpool-era Chapterhouse steroided up, with guitarist Lee’s chiming, hypnotic walls of sound packing a mighty sonic punch. There’s even a flute-effect in the latter that is redolent of Loveless.

However, it’s on the title track Open Hearts that the band scales the heady heights. Chugging guitars, an electronic bassline, and Ogilvie’s mantric vocals (“I tried to wrap my heart around you”) combine to conjure up a twisted slice of dark disco. If the band once invited comparisons with Joy Division, then this is the moment when they transform into New Order.

Simply stunning.

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