'Take me beyond this hole, resist the Followers' world'.
This is Keith's
call to arms, a passionate statement of their intent not to follow
fashions or do what is expected; rather it's an expression of their
sometimes-isolated individuality.
Many have compared Oli's vocal to Manchester's' favoured poet
Morrissey but, as is the way with Keith, any influence
is not borne of intent, rather absorbed in the ether of their kaleidoscopic
love of music. It's not unfair to say that Oli Bayston has a voice
more powerful than the former Smiths frontman,
and this tunes affinity with an anthem like 'What difference
does it make?' comes from its passionate individualism, both
lyrically and sonically.
Faces
Written in the studio with Keith's sonic architectural sidekick
James Ford, this tune offers layer upon layer of
psyche-laced harmonies and chiming guitar picking alongside Johnny's
intricate, sometimes tribal, drums which overall create an awesome
wall of tuneful sounds.
Mona Lisa's Child
Always the rousing finale in Keith's live set, where crowd surfing
and Bez style activists come to the fore, this
offers another very unique Keith song-writing slant. Essentially
a very brooding dissection of a relationship breakdown, the song
throws anger, desperation and love into the pot with a cascade of
droning effects, an awesome groove and then from no-where the most
audaciously catchy piano solo that wouldn't be out of place on a
dirty groove from the birth of House music.
Bled a Rose
This was probably the earliest tune written by the band when they
were working on their music production course in Manchester (via
Warrington). Engineered by a friend of the band, George
Atkins, and written by guitarist Mark Nicholls - this tune
has a beautiful melodic quality that is at the heart of Keith's
music and shows that quality is indeed the essence of what the band
are about. The sort of tune that Paul Weller may
have written under the influence of his 'English Rose' muse.