Sometimes you can't see what is right in front of you. This was the case with this album. It was recorded just down the road from us last year but we missed it. Still, we shall redress the balance now. The Hugh Trowsers Band refer to themselves as a collective with a changing line up. The great Sam Brown adds her magic on two tracks - "Down to the Corner" and the stellar "Living the Dream". "Living the Dream" has also been adopted by Gretna Football Club (for our American readers, football means soccer) as a kind of anthem.
Let's make no mistake. This is quality popular music. Think Runrig meeting Aztec Camera whilst sharing a cigarette with Deacon Blue and you are getting close. There are plenty of strong songs here and the vocal talents of David McCallum lend a wise to the ways of the world feel to the proceeding. "Ruin's Wheel" is positively poetic. "She Might be There" is the jagged story of losing the one you love through stupidity. The aforementioned "Living the Dream" is a future classic.
So this is music for grown ups and well worth tracking down. It is currently available from the band's website.