Witness
'Under a Sun'
Remember a time when bands made records that were stupendously brilliant,
ridiculously ambitious and utterly timeless? Witness do, and with 'Under a
Sun' they've done a bloody good job of emulating their heroes.
It was with a weary inevitability that even as the plaudits rained down
upon their debut album, 'Before the Calm', Witness, with their beautifully
intense, astonishingly obsessional approach to their craft were never
going to make a chink in the lethargic armoury of the ubiquitous Travis or the
chronically apathetic Stereophonics.
'Under a Sun' will probably fail to redress this appalling lacuna, but
the
waiting room of history can be fun if you're sure of the prize. And with
these 13 immense yet delicately groomed epic songs Witness sound, feel and
act like a band supremely confident of their own abilities.
Musically, 'Under a Sun' is a departure of sorts, one in which gigantic
choruses, proud vocals and fuller arrangements are grafted with pristine
precision onto previous essentials. Oozing spirit with a defiant
individualism, this time the absorption of American influences (Neil
Young, early REM) means Witness are unafraid to expressly rock (before opener
'Here's One For You' it's doubtful whether they'd ever heard of riffs),
sewing their souls to their sleeves and wearing them well.
Vocalist Gerard Starkie's frightening sincerity soaks through tales of
evaporating love ('Closing Up') and the brutality of need ('Mines'), the
straining sparseness of the band creating a backdrop every bit as ghostly
echoing as their idols Nick Drake and Joy Division.
'Under a Sun' sounds like it's from another age, an exquisitely disarming
mix of passion, honesty and sheer bloody class that writes its name into
you heart long before it's even finished. The album of the year has just been
written.
Simon Rutter