In their 1980’s pomp both The Wake and The Field Mice made wistful innocent-sounding music which promised romance and melancholy in equal measure. So when members of both bands chose to collaborate as The Occasional Keepers in 2005, Bobby Wratten, Caesar and Caroline Allen duly delivered an album of music for sensitive souls. The follow-up is dispatched in much the same manner with a smattering of light electronica again bringing their style bang up to date.
As an opening ‘If The Ravens Leave’ sums up all that was good about both bands; the happy/sad tune delivered by Wratten’s always comforting tones. ”Town Of 85 Lights’ and ‘I’ve Realized’ are essentially a return to The Wake circa 1990 when they moved from Factory to Sarah Records; their music becoming lighter yet not nearl as vital as before. No quite as light as the Allen-sung ‘The Life Of The Fields, though, which is as tender as a snowflake.
In a further nod to their pasts, there’s time for an ambient/experimental homage to Factory Records whilst ‘Snow And Feathers’ has a definite Durutti Column influence. Yet the real highlight for me is ‘Leave The Secret There Forever’; everything about it is subtle and beautiful from the insistent bass and the light guitar jangle to the shimmering keyboards and Wratten’s confiding vocals. It beats the similarly dreamlike ‘Elsinore’ in to a close second. Taken as a whole, ‘True North’ stays true to the musicians’ pasts and proves that - even though they’ve embraced modern production techniques - their music can still be heartfelt and touching.
Web Sites:
The Occasional Keepers MySpace
LTM Label Site
Further Listening:
The Wake, The Field Mice, Trembling Blue Stars, Northern Picture Library
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