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Album Reviews
Album Review: The Leisure Society – The Sleeper (Willkommen Records)
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 23 March 2009
The Leisure Society’s sublime, string-filled debut, ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’, was chosen by Elbow’s Guy Garvey as his single of the year last year. And this, their first LP, is full of a similar northern England charm akin to the Mercury winners. From the delicate seed of ‘A Fighting Chance’, this album grows to a sweet whimsy that delights in a springtime ambience. Close your eyes and you can see the flowers bloom. The lyrics offer a dark nuance though, turning both comic and sombre in a way you’d expect from a collective that once counted both ‘This Is England’ director Shane Meadows and ‘Hot Fuzz’ star Paddy Considine amongst its number. And despite their successes, they may yet have made the wrong decision to choose film over leisure. Nick Hardy and Christian Hemming have used a folk past to create a pop album of precious subtlety. Even the ukulele makes itself welcome, without the cringe that followed Noah And The Whale. Though that may just have been Noah And The Whale. This isn’t just a debut that promises big things for the future, it’s one that delivers greatness already. Put a bet on for this year’s Mercury maybe? TM
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