Leisure Society - The Last of the Melting Snow

  by John Clarkson

published: 5 / 1 / 2009

Label: Willkommen Records
Format: CDS

intro

Outstanding debut single from the delicately beautiful the Leisure Society, the new project of former Telescopes guitarist Nick Hemming, and singer Christian Hardy

As winter reaches its peak, the Leisure Society have provided an early, yet evocative reminder of the forthcoming spring with their debut single, the haunting ‘The Last of the Melting Snow’. The group is centred around songwriter and guitarist Nick Hemming, and singer and multi-instrumentalist Christian Hardy. Hemming is a former guitarist with Creation label band the Telescopes, and has also written music for the Shane Meadows’ films, ‘A Room for Romeo Brass’ and Dead Man’s Shoes’. Hardy, who like Hemming is originally from Burton Upon Trent but now London-based, fronts as well his own project, Christian Silva. The Leisure Society’s debut album, ‘The Sleeper’, is out in March, and ‘The Last of the Melting Snow’, which was recently made ‘Record of the Week’ on Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie’s Radio 2 show, is a first taster from it. Delicately beautiful, Hardy’s refined, soft-hued vocals hint of a romantic breakdown (“Wait here for the parting shot/for the epilogue”). With light wisps of Hemming’s honeyed guitar and Hardy’s flickering piano providing a backdrop, alongside occasional touches of meandering violin from former Hope of the States member Mike Siddell, the whole tone of the piece and Hardy’s lyrics, however, are both suggestive of a new beginning and fragile hope. (“As I leave this town I will not return/for I haven’t got the room for these things/and America seems a long way ago.”). The second track, ‘A Short Weekend Begins with Longing’, is more upbeat in sound, merging Hemming’s choppy acoustic folk guitar with swirls of violin. It too implies the ending of a relationship (“Fine for a while/we were happy until it died”), yet also looks out beyond darkness with cautious optimism towards the future. (“Winding my way through the plans I never made/ don’t step aside/I was hoping that you might help me/Save me again from this dreadful feeling.”) An outstanding debut single, which is as charming as it is both enigmatic and subtle.

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