Boilermaker - Leucadia

  by Peter Liddle

published: 21 / 1 / 2002

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This album isn't really an album. It's a collection of EPs that Boilermaker have released in the last 7 or so years. It's named after the town the band came from, and in a letter inside the sleeve, they explain this is because that's where their memories lie, and it's that which has made their band. Emotive and melodic, 'Leucadia', veers between a straightforward rock and an introspective post rock sound, and sometimes angry, sometimes sad and sometimes happy, is very much a personal journey. 'Leucadia' begins with the 1994 EP 'Watercourse', which is very much from the American emo school of rock , with plenty of squealing but melodic guitars and lots of angst. It's hard to make out the words, but it is entertaining enough. The second EP, 'In Wallace's Shadow' is more slightly diverse and its lyrics are easier to hear. The subtle and reflective 'Slow down', a slow one, about lack of time in life, is particulary impressive, throwing a strange sample of someone saying "if you love somebody you have to tell them the truth" into its middle before becoming even further more mellow still. The band take their time and pace each song slowly. To some people this might seem like dragging things out, but in Boilermaker's case it works well.What you might want from this album though is a little more variation. While a collection of EPs, there isn't a massive transition of style. Boilermaker have a talent for writing arrangements, but although not boring, the same standard tempo which they use on most of their songs may prove too much for some listeners. The last track, a new recording, the bittersweet and acoustic 'Cruel Heart', however, is especially pretty. Reflective and questioning, 'Leucadia' is also very honest album and the songs are certainly those which Boilermaker wanted you to hear, something which speaks volumes and is surely more important than variation.

Track Listing:-

1 Whitewash
2 Roller Rink Skate Date
3 Hill
4 Switch
5 Lot 235
6 Trunk
7 Iris
8 Slow Down
9 Last Good Growth
10 Pathos Delay
11 Breach
12 Norman
13 Last Stop On the Way To Vegas
14 Last On The Drive
15 Sunset Ridge
16 Thinner Runs Through Her
17 Cruel Heart

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