Climbers - The Good Ship

  by Paul Waller

published: 5 / 7 / 2010

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What a damn fine record this is! The overall feel of this could be seen by some, after a couple of listens as a straight forward rip of Mumford & Sons crossed with Portland’s the Decemberists. There is so much more depth here than Mumford could dream of delivering right now based on their debut album and whilst there are similarities with the Decemberists the multi vocalist approach the Climbers employ here works wonders, making them a much easier sell than the olde time vocals and imagery the Americans deliver. Knowing that main men Tim West and Christian Hardy coined their band name from the school trips they took as children to the Lake District means that the songs on 'The Good Ship' take on a different feel from the current UK folk rock crop. This is music to listen to whilst on those long treks, battling high winds and taking cover from the harsh British weather. There is a comforting warmth that radiates from the likes of 'The Fellowship' and From Now On. The opening trio of tunes here are outstanding. The record begins with the Portishead-ish 'Bookshop Folk' which begins at pace and fizzles out quickly after a flurry of explosive guitar breaks. Yet it is in no way representative of what’s to follow but it sure wakes up those expecting a run of the mill folk opera. Next up is the equally brilliant but altogether milder beast, 'Anything'. The introduction of the banjo here is a masterstroke. This is where on first listen you instantly think Mumford & Sons but it’s such a cop out to leave it there. Fourth spin in and 'Anything' becomes a huge moment for the band. The “I call my brother” refrain is so painfully beautiful it it makes you want to simply halt the album there and listen to the thing on repeat but if you do then you’ll miss out on the albums standout pop moment, the stunning title track. Here the group utilises so many vocal tracks it’s barmy to think of the hours put in to get it this right in the studio but all are used with good reason. It’s a romping great party moment that could well (in less hipster based parallel universes) break the band into the big time. This uncool feel the band possess could well be their undoing though. Where the hell would a band like this fit in today’s ‘use em once and spit em out’ music scene. The Climbers are a band that you want to grow with. Like REM were in the 80‘s, that sort of thing.

Track Listing:-

1 Bookshop Folk
2 Anything
3 The Good Ship
4 In a Circle
5 I Will Never
6 Something Good (This Way Comes)
7 I Keep Falling
8 Uncommon
9 From Now On
10 The Fellow Ship
11 If There's Anyone

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