Oh, this one made my ears happy. Too often these days, bands fail to follow their own path and do something big, instead settling for the safer option of duplicating someone else's successes. Not so with Yorkshire band The Tivoli. Very little biographical information came with the review copy but they don't sound like beginners and it turned out that they should be taken seriously.
As such things go, "My Town" provides a leisurely start to the album and the band's social conscience is stamped all over this song. Half way through, the guitars and keyboards cut in and the song gets big fast. Much like Oasis were prone to do in fact but lead singer Lee McMahon is stylistically more reminiscent of Feargal Sharkey (most notably on the slower songs like "This Fair City"). "Pawns on the Fence" and "Ballad of the Beauty Queen" also suggest a familiarity with the works of the Gallagher brothers especially in Damian Baughan's guitar work. However this band is far more than mere copycats. There's just too much imagination in there for a start. Big guitar riffs will certainly keep the masses happy but there's plenty to keep your brain busy in the lyrics. The album sounds interesting too. It's raw for sure but the songs are properly arranged for a change. Those choruses hit you in the right place and make you want to sing along. People need that. That is far, far more important than having the right haircut.
When you consider that this is The Tivoli's debut album, it is all the more remarkable. Sure, the performances tend to be a bit ragged and the sound could be better but the sheer boisterousness of it all carries this band through. Just listen to "Spirit of Tennessee" as that McMahon chap rasps away like a young Noddy Holder. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, it was!
As another year of reviews end, I would normally be thinking of getting a prescription for Prozac just to get through the next pile of albums. Then an album like "National Service" comes along and you know that there really is good stuff out there. All you have to do is look for it. Actually you don't even have to look far as Bluesbunny has found it for you. Now go buy it!