The Weepies Releases. This dropped onto my mat unannounced and unexpected and I ignored it for a week or so, thinking that with a band name like the Weepies this would probably be some emo negativity with lots of heart-rending strings and an anguished vocalist whose soul was out on show. Oops.
When I got around to giving it a listen I found myself entranced by some sumptuous melodies, harmonies from heaven and some of the most positive folky, poppy songs I’ve heard for a while.
The Weepies have actually had an iTunes number 1 for their last album and toured extensively with Indigo Girls in 2006/2007 but they were burnt out after the exhaustion of touring constantly and have spent the last nine months hidden away while they recharged batteries, married each other (Deb & Steve) and had a baby (Leo) and then started to put this collection together – a process that has delivered a wistful and faintly melancholic bunch of songs with great heart and stunning musicality coupled with a slightly darker mentality that their debut disc.
'Can’t Go Back Now’ is a great way to open an album, signing off the last year with a moving End Of The Affair feeling number. The title track, 'Hideaway’, is funkier and more optimistic and 'Little Bird’ has a Beatlesque feel to it together with a meditative vocal from Deb. 'How You survived The War’ is rich and warm with some lovely guitar work from Whynot Jansveld. There isn’t a single track here that could be considered filler, just 14 songs that keep the attention focused on the lyrics while your body absorbs the closeness of the music and vocals.
This is an album from a band that has recharged and rethought itself and the result is a stunning set of songs that will grace many a quiet Sunday afternoon.
