Deaf Havana - Old Souls
by Fiona Hutchings
published: 14 / 10 / 2013

Label:
BMG
Format: CD
intro
Timeless and polished anthemic rock on third album from Norfolk-formed sextet Deaf Havana, who have recently supported Bruce Springsteen
Deaf Havana are a six piece which is made up of the Veck-Gilodi brothers James the frontman and main song writer and Matthew on guitar and vocals, and Chris Pennells, Lee Wilson and Tom Ogden on guitar, bass and drums respectively. Their co-producer Youth has compared them to the Verve and Crowded House, and their 2011 previous album ‘Fools and Worthless Liars’ reached number 1 in the UK Rock charts. James Veck-Gilodi cites Springsteen in particular among his influences, so I was expecting and got a combination of rocking guitar riffs and lyrical anthems. 'Boston Square' certainly opens proceedings in a suitably stadium rock killer intro feel. The fabulously titled 'Everybody's Dancing and I Want To Die' could well be the theme tune for every socially awkward and uncomfortable teenager on the planet. This poppy tune makes you want to dance of course, before slamming into the equally well-titled 'Subterranean Bullshit Blue' that is fairly bursting with killer riffs, rolling drums and wailing backing vocals. '22' details the kind of hangover I just about remember from that age, while 'Speeding Cars' features bursts of joyful brass against dark lyrics. 'Saved' is a bit of a cigarette lighter waver I suppose, but it is bitter rather than sickly. 'Caro Padre' closes proceedings by musing on the start of life and the legacy of parents, notably absent ones. ‘Old Souls’ is an album full of lyrics that paint pictures that manage to combine a sense of the old and new. It certainly sounds big, polished and though there is the slight whiff of rock by numbers occasionally it also sounds timeless and unselfconscious. Deaf Havana have recently supported The Boss himself at Hard Rock Calling earlier this year. They don't just give that sort of stuff to any old band.
Track Listing:-
1 Boston Square2 Lights
3 Everybody's Dancing and I Want To
4 Subterranean B******t Blues
5 Night Drives
6 22
7 Speeding Cars
8 Saved
9 Mildred
10 Tuesday People
11 Kings Road Ghosts
12 Caro Padre
13 Saved (Live At Union Chapel)
14 Round Here (Live At Union Chapel)
Band Links:-
https://twitter.com/deafhavanahttp://www.deafhavanaofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/deafhavana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaf_Havana
Label Links:-
https://www.bmg.com/uk/https://www.facebook.com/BMGRM
https://twitter.com/BMG
https://www.facebook.com/bmgchrysalisuk
https://twitter.com/bmguk
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