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Album Reviews
Album Review: The Travelling Band – Under The Pavement (Sideways Saloon)
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 10 November 2008
The Travelling Band claim to be far removed from their home town of Manchester’s musical lineage. But I believe they connect to the city’s pre-punk days, when escapism took precedence over wallowing in the city’s decrepit splendour (ie before ecstasy arrived). Back in the 70s, the likes of Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons and Neil Young performed legendary and massively influential shows in the city. Even now, there is a generation of parents who don’t shut up about it. The Travelling Band hark back to those days, and in doing so provide themselves with an intriguing starting point for their own career. Well crafted and produced songs that range from joyous to pensive in tone. The standard country accompaniment of acoustic guitars, violin, piano, subdued electric guitar and well rounded vocal harmonies are competently executed with weirdly south Manchester vocals. If this album was handed to me inside a coffee coloured record cover and I was told it was from a Californian farmstead in 1972, I would be delighted with it. I am chaste to pick out single songs from the album because as a work in its own right it is coherent and lovingly crafted. It is, however, a starting point. I believe this band can push the boundaries of their sound further; they are one to watch. PG
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