REVIEW: Hollow Men, Twisted (November)
- Bob Gajarsky
The British band the Hollow Men has survived through the ups and downs of changing labels to release their first album in nearly four years on November Records, Twisted.
The standout track on Twisted is simply titled "Now". A combination of psychedelia and swirling guitars help propel this song through a series of twists and turns that epitomize the album's title.
The influence of sounds shows through on the last track, the instrumental "Come With Me". This draws the listener back to the Manchester sound of the late 1980's (even though the group is from Leeds) or the early Pink Floyd of the late 1960's.
Individual songs aren't the only link to Pink Floyd. Before each song, the group has interspersed soundbites, a detailed tour of the solar system (which is a prelude to the track "This Dark City") and even a blurb from an interview from Pink Floyd.
"The experimental nature of the record is personified on the soundbites", drummer Jonny Cragg explains. "We used a lot of those kind of things on our first two releases - it always seemed to make things flow a little better".
For fans who might wonder if this is the same Hollow Men who released 1990's critically acclaimed Cresta, the answer is yes. Their trials on Twisted will prove successful to fans longing for a poppy, accessible version of the Manchester swirly sound.
