Skinny Lister – The Story Is...
All in all, another noteworthy collection
The trouble with bands like Skinny Lister is that, once you have been swept along in the energy of their live performance (as we witnessed at Norwich Arts Centre earlier this month), listening to them at home can be a bit like attempting to re-construct a firework display by collecting up the burnt-out rockets and Catherine wheels – the memories are still there, but the sparks have gone.
This is the fourth full-length release from the Greenwich punk-folksters, and whilst it contains plenty more ammunition for the live set – rousing numbers like Second Amendment, Rattle & Roar and Cause for Chorus, it is the gentler ballads and love songs that perhaps work best in the privacy of one's own home - songs like Stop & Breathe and title track The Story Is...
And, of course, no Skinny Lister collection would be complete without the lyrical imagery and incidents recounted within the likes of Diesel Vehicle (about mistakenly filling up with unleaded fuel); Artist Arsonist (dodgy neighbours in the flat below); and Alister McAllister (going to The Jam gigs in Hastings).
All in all, another noteworthy collection from one of my personal favourite bands. But do get out and see them live.
7/10
