Heart of a Punk Soul of a Rasta

Bigger than Jesus……………

Liam Fray isn't Jesus and as he says himself he's "definitely not Barrack" but on the "Second Folio" (yeah the other CD shoved into the deluxe edition of The Courteeners 2nd album "Falcon") he certainly has conjured up an immaculate conception.

5 tracks that aurally explode and show how far forward the song writing of Fray and the craft of the Courteeners have been propelled since their solid debut "St Jude". Lyrically witty and pithy with a central narrative of GOING OUT, there's a nod to Master Doherty on "Bojangles" and likewise a nod to the mighty Moz on "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" where "Sixteen, clumsy and shy" from "Half a Person" becomes "Twenty, sleazy and coy". The sound of the whole piece is raw and not contrived, f**cked about with or glossy. Before hearing "Second Folio" I was seriously considering nailing my Courteeners Season Ticket to a tree and waiting for some one to come along and steel the nail, but now I can see there is still a light if not a bonfire that hasn't quite gone out. The underplayed anthem "Forget the Weight of the World" completes the perfect five leaving in its wake a lot of unanswered questions.

Which is the aberration then "Second Folio" or "Falcon", only time will tell. All I know is this review has been very quick & easy to write and my review of "Falcon" is going to be very long, hard and drawn out - with far, far too many expletives.

Hey A&M just release "Second Folio" as an EP it would help sweeten the pill, 10 inch vinyl would be nice, perhaps you could call it something snappy like "Bigger than Jesus" they were on the way after all.