I Am Kloot - Hold Back The Night
Banging job.
Listening to I Am Kloot can be like spending a night down the boozer whilst your best mate pours out their problems and regrets, and yet somehow, at the end of the session, you still leave with hope in your heart. I first saw Kloot at Latitude two years ago and loved the poetry and drama in their songs. None of the Mancunian swagger of Oasis, or the chirpy arrogance of Blur. Confessional, yet still capable of producing the climactic and anthemic. Touches of Carter USM, but without the politics or the anger. The band have now produced a 26 track collection (or twenty track double album with six additional tracks to download) from their 2013 Winter tour. This is neither a retrospective or a 'greatest hits' collection - over half the songs are featured on their two last studio albums, but it provides a souvenir for the aficionado and market stall to tempt the latecomer. Will it manage to attract new customers? Possibly not, even though this is precisely what a great live album should be – no long solos, introductions, or ramblings. No audience sing-a-longs. Just top songs, top production, and top performances all the way, skilfully edited to leave just the right amount of ambient crowd noise. Banging job.
8/10
