Critical Writings

Articles and Reviews: MUSIC

Lady’s Bridge by Richard Hawley (Mute)

A candy-coloured clown they call the sandman must come into Richard Hawley’s room every night, whispering lush productions of songs for only the lonely in his slumbering ear. The results can be heard on Lady’s Bridge, the ex-Pulp guitarist’s fourth album, and the fourth to take its title from a place in his beloved Sheffield. ‘The Sea Calls’ has a lilting, repetitive melody which conjures up sparklingly inviting waves, while ‘I’m Looking For Someone to Find Me’ is an uncharacteristically optimistic declaration. But the gloom soon returns with ‘Our Darkness’, whose droning vocal evokes Morrissey, while ‘The Sun Refused To Shine’ is just plain bleak. This is a man who has had his voice compared to Roy Orbison’s, but for my money his reverb drenched Gretch whammy bar more accurately recalls Chris Issak’s wicked games. Disarmingly retro it may be, and hardly innovative, but he does what he does well, and it still floats lots of boat.

First published in Magill, December/January 2007/8