Recorded in a white-hot blaze of frustration following the postponement of a nearly completed Sinister’s album due to Covid restrictions, Hall seems to have played all of the instruments himself in his heroic attempt to release a new record. ON THE BLINK, a title that aptly sums up 2020, comprises 22 tracks that cover a huge range of styles, from radio-friendly 3 or 4-minute psych-pop singles such as Serpent on the Path, On the Blink, Stand and Deliver (already a firm favourite with this show) and When we are no Longer Numb to sprawling epics and song suites like The Wrong Song, Angels Understand and The Sea is in the Trees/The Sea Ignites the Stones.
Despite its provenance (or perhaps because of - who knows?), this is, nevertheless, an album to captivate the senses; colourful; buoyant; full of understated psychedelic flourishes and whimsical lyricism that have all the charm of a children’s playground chant. Songs often shimmer beneath a lysergic haze, others sparkle like dewdrops in a sunlit meadow - there’s clearly something in the water in Wales (or at least growing on the golf courses). Rather than the usual reference points (Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd in general) a far more useful comparison exists with P.G. Wodehouse - there is a playful lightness of touch with the instrumentation, and the wordplay delights and enchants. With 22 tracks there’s going to be a certain amount of eclecticism - Hall himself references Ennio Morricone, dub reggae, JJ Cale and The Beatles - but what holds it all together is his ability to knock out a melody that would have Paul McCartney in his Sgt. Pepper’s heyday scrabbling to take notes.
Overall, the album manages to mix lockdown seriousness with a playful, kaleidoscopic outlook, and I find myself feeling envious at the noises Nathan Hall must hear in his head.
You can check out his albums here
Enjoy
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