English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
by Zena Grieg
published: 29 / 10 / 2024
Label:
Island Records
Format: CD
intro
Expansive and atmospheric debut album from acclaimed Leeds indie band English Teacher
Following an acclaimed appearance in 2023 on ‘Later…with Jools Holland’, Leeds band English Teacher have released their debut album. ‘ This Could Be Texas’ (a sardonic play on Judy Garland’s line ‘This isn’t Kansas’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz’) is an eclectic mix of rock, electronica, post-punk and indie-prog, their expansive sound complemented by the expressive vocals of lead singer Lily Fontaine. Themes are topical, with the cost-of-living crisis, environmental disasters, broken homes, prejudice and mental health issues driving several of the songs, propelled by engaging rhythms and dramatic lyrics. Throughout, there is an idiosyncratic, unifying distinctive perspective, in Fontaine’s words: “I want this album to feel like you’ve gone to space, and it turns out it’s almost identical to Doncaster”. Songs to listen out for in this thirteen-track collection include: the slow-building indie-rock opener ‘Albatross’ with its jangling guitars accentuating an underlying unease; lead single ‘World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ with its in-your-face lyrics: ”I am the world’s biggest paving slab/So watch your fucking feet”; ‘Broken Biscuits’, a laconic critique of government negligence and societal breakdown, set against syncopated rhythms; microcosm of teenage angst ‘I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying’; ‘Mastermind Specialism’, with its existential tension around indecision, underscored by a looping sound; ‘Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space’ with its humorous lines: “Not everybody gets to go to space, you can’t change it/It’s not ideal but it’s just how it’s always been/Because if everybody got to go to space/No one would ever want to clean“; catchy 2021 single ‘R&B’, reimagined, using Fontaine’s own personal experience: “Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B (I’ve been writing R&B for you)/ Even though I’ve seen more colour Shows than KEXPs (I’ve been writing R&B for you)”; the intense, haunting, jazz-inflected ballad ‘You Blister My Paint’; and the closer 'Albert Road', a sobering cry against intolerance, carried by Fontaine’s emotive, conversational vocals. A captivating sequence of musical vignettes, creating a unique musical landscape, ‘This Could Be Texas’ is an atmospheric, experimental record with insightful songwriting, which will strike a chord with old fans and new.
Track Listing:-
1 Albatross2 The World's Biggest Paving Slab
3 Broken Biscuitss
4 I'm Not Crying You're Crying
5 Mastermind Specialism
6 This Could Be Texas
7 Not Everyone Gets to go to Space
8 R&B
9 Nearly Daffodils
10 Best Tears of Your Life
11 Blister My Paint
12 Sideboob
13 Albert Road
Band Links:-
https://www.englishteacherband.com/https://www.facebook.com/EnglishTeacherBand/
https://x.com/Englishteac_her
Label Links:-
http://www.islandrecords.co.uk/https://twitter.com/islandrecordsuk/
https://www.youtube.com/user/islandrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/IslandRecordsUK/
https://instagram.com/islandrecordsuk/
Play in YouTube:-
Have a Listen:-
soundcloud
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.Dennis Tufano - Copernicus Center, Chicago, 19/7/2024
Elliott Murphy - Interview
Wreckless Eric - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #16: Living in the Minds of Strangers
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #17: Tom Robinson
Adrian Gurvitz - Interview
Norman Rodger - Interview
Chris Spedding - Interview
Penumbra - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Groovy Uncle - Making ExcusesPhilip Parfitt - The Dark Light
Jules Winchester - The Journey
Deep Purple - =1
Ross Couper Band - The Homeroad
Hawkestrel - Chaos Rocks
Bill Wyman - Drive My Car
Popstar - Obscene
John Murry and Michael Timmins - A Little Bit of Grace and Decay
Splashgirl and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - More Human
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart