Miles Hunt Club - the album
Miles Hunt Club - the album
And so, fresh from what could be seen as alternately either a last-ditch cash-in, or a rejuvenating return to form with the temporary reformation of his previous band The Wonder Stuff, Miles Hunt - after several years in the singer-songwriter mode, gets his bite back with his first full album of new material with a band since 1996�s massively underrated Vent.
Hardcore fans might be disappointed, with ten of the twelve songs being available in one form or another on previous solo EP�s, but as an album, The Miles Hunt Club is a fierce cohesive release that showcases the vision of both Miles and his partners in crime from American band The Amazing Meet Project. Sonically, the middle ground between the naked solo work and the screaming feedback of Vent, �The Miles Hunt Club� is a work that presents both soft and hard, quiet and loud, tender and tough.
Soft spoken verses collide with squalls of feedback in The Truth At Last, and the lively, catchy Traces expose the inner heart of man. Behind the occasionally harsh music, the lyrics hide a thoughtful, wary worldview, perhaps one that has been hurt more than once too often by someone you thought you can trust. I know that guy. I�ve been in those shoes as well. Some people don�t think or feel enough, others too much. There is often no middle ground.
So what does the Miles Hunt Club sound like? Well. There�s dense, thrilling guitar work. A tight, complex sound that thrives on volatile sonic dynamics, the never loses sight of things like structure, chorus, and talent. And some of the most obliquely meaningful songwriting around - that takes a simple phrase and manages to cover all the nuances and meanings through simple vocal inflections, guitar tunings, and textures.
Unfairly, this album will probably be relegated to a HMV sideline in a few weeks time, which, given the quality of what�s in here, is a bit surprising, but not exactly unexpected. Despite being chock full of excellent songs performed by a tight, cohesive unit full of promise, The Miles Hunt Club do not have enough scratching, DJ�s, gutteral screaming, or 70�s retro denim jackets to make the cover of this weeks NME. That�s their loss. Whilst unable to escape the shadow of the past, The Miles Hunt Club certainly offer a lot of promise for the future, and already, as Judas Priest might say, Deliver The Goods.
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