Nightingales - Insult to Injury

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 25 / 4 / 2009

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Review

'Insult To Injury' finds the Nightingales, having reunited in 2004, continuing in the pattern they established for themselves with their recording work first time around and from 1980 to 1986. To the experienced listener the album will prove to be up to standard. It is not as if the Nightingales have, however matured. Long live sleazy and harsh, yet phlegmatic, confrontation remains their motto. They paint a picture of sloppy lifestyles and unfulfilled ambitions and then combine this with the sound of rhythmic ploughs and tired meat grinders. On some occasions, singer Robert Lloyd's unique, plaintive voice struggles to get on top of his band's mean and thick rock'n' rumble. Newbies to this daddy of Brummie acts must concentrate hard though as this Klangbad production makes Lloyd sound a little too remote at the beginning. On 'Little Lambs' the Nightingales and producer Hans-Joachim Irmler, however, find the right balance. I suppose the muddy sound has been put there to force the listener to take full notice of the gritty guitars and walloping percussion before coming to terms with this two-sided approach. 'Big Bones' proves a little too beefheartian and certainly too long for my liking though Lloyd's girlish screams are quite funny. From this moment on, 'Insult To Injury' continues in an elaborate, articulated and comprehensive fashion while before it seems they were just mucking about on purpose, like pigs if you must. Half Man Half Biscuit have a contender in the re-vamped Nightingales. I am not implying he studies animal life but lyric-wise Lloyd's more of a tit and ass man. Perhaps he is a tad bit over focused on providing class struggle comment, yet it appears that it is always meant in jest. 'Watch Your Posture' rounds up things in a jolly 'Vindaloo' way that brings back to mind the happy times of Ted Chippington doing punky doo-wop. Irmler's production shows respect to the old Nightingales sound. More imagination would not cause any harm I'd reckon. I shall keep my fingers crossed that the Nightingales will start twittering in a twenty-first century style on their next recordings.

Track Listing:-

1 I Am Grimaldi
2 Old Fruit
3 Double Whammy Bar
4 Brownhills United's Tattoed Southpaw
5 Little Lambs
6 Kirklees Ken
7 Big Bones
8 Crap Lech
9 Former Florist To The Queen
10 The Kiss Of Life
11 Down With The Blue Lobsters
12 Watch Your Posture

Band Links:-

http://thenightingales.org.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/thenightingal
https://twitter.com/_nightingales
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night

Label Links:-

http://www.klangbad.de/
https://www.facebook.com/Klangbad-Musi
https://twitter.com/klangbad
https://www.youtube.com/user/klangbad
http://www.klangbadfestival.de/

Have a Listen:-