Tvfordogs - I Only Wanted to Make You Cry

  by Kimberly Bright

published: 9 / 6 / 2021

---

London-based power trio tvfordogs have been creating catchy, tightly woven indie rock since the early ‘00s when they released their debut ‘Heavy Denver’. On their fifth album, ‘I Only Wanted to Make You Cry’, singer-guitarist Neil Luckett, bassist Mark Homer, and drummer Paul Jarrett have created a melodic, energetic, and hard rocking collection of solid tracks. Their modus operandi was to create Anglophile American rock music coming full circle by reimagining it as original native English rock. The album is classic garage rock and Pacific Northwest grunge meets Pink Floyd, Free, Big Star, and a bit of top tier Britpop. The music was recorded live at Banana Road Studios in southeast London. Neil Luckett’s guitar work often leans toward a Dave Gilmour influence (‘Heading for the Sea’, ‘I Hope;) as well as hints of Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters (‘I’m a Liar’), and Stone Temple Pilots (‘Crime and Punishment’). “Fire in your eyes and lead boots on your feet / The cocktail you were drinking couldn’t be that sweet,” Luckett sings on ‘Lead Boots’. mocking needless aggression. ‘The Last Days of Rome’ is full-throttle heavy, stomping glam rock and ‘Little Death’ is a literate, Bob Mould-esque celebration of sex. Luckett’s unwavering voice is by turns smooth, gritty, sneering, emotionally contained, and expressive, along the lines of Dave Grohl, Gary Cherone, Scott Weiland and Eddie Vedder but with the wit of Warren Zevon and Andy Partridge. He is a classically trained composer who has written orchestral, chamber, and classical pieces, scores for films and television, in addition to the well-crafted indie rock/pop songs he has created as a solo artist and with Tvfordogs and his acoustic band Rabbit in the Blood. He has worked with other artists such as So Solid, Phil Dodd, Butterfly Stitch, Idiotboy, and Lisa Scott Lee. With this extensive background and education no one would fault him for turning in bombastic triple-album prog rock with its own fully formed accompanying mythology. The fact that he is probably very overqualified for tvfordogs’ uncomplicated indie rock doesn’t stop him from writing it anyway -- and doing a stellar job. The album ends on a quiet note with final song ‘I Hope’, with a psychedelic vocal effect backed by a melancholy but dreamy arrangement that drifts off gently into the stratosphere. A moody end to a breathtakingly direct and melodic rock record.

Track Listing:-

1 I'm a Liar
2 I Only Wanted to Make You Cry
3 Flags
4 Crime and Punishment
5 Heading for the Sea
6 Lead Boots
7 Little Death
8 Great Mistake
9 The Last Days of Rome
10 I Hope

Band Links:-

https://m.facebook.com/tvfordogs/
https://twitter.com/tvfordogs?lang=en

Label Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/GareduNorduk
http://www.garedunordrecords.com/#facebook
https://twitter.com/GareDuNordUK

Play in YouTube:-

Have a Listen:-

Post A Comment

---

Comment

Name

your name

Location

ie London, UK

Submit

Check box to submit

Adam Coxon
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson

Dixie Ernill
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart

Malcolm Carter
Marie Hazelwood
Mark Rowland
Nick Dent-Robinson
Nicky Crewe
Nige Nudds
Philamonjaro
Richard Lewis
Shirley Procter
Spencer Robertshaw
Steev Burgess
Steve Kinrade

Steve Miles
Tommy Gunnarsson
Zena Grieg