White Sails - White Sails

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 29 / 6 / 2013

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Review

White Sails consists of ex-Mellow Drunk singer and guitarist Leigh Gregory and former Dora Flood bassist Ville Vilpponen, along with Ville’s brother Jaakko on drums. Both Leigh and and Ville are long-term figures in the San Francisco music scene. They started writing last year and this new album is the fruits of last summer’s labours. ‘The Turning of the Tide’, which is a strong acoustic number, opens the album. Leigh’s vocals sound on it like they have braved a few battles over the years, while a second guitar drives it in a Crazy Horse manner. On ‘Dare to Shine’ Leigh’s vocals – which like on much of this album are reminiscent of the Auteurs’ and Black Box Recorder’s Luke Haines - are more hushed, while the drums sound like they are played with brushes. George Harrison-style guitars weave in and out of the mix, and occasional touches of piano add to its charm. ‘Slipping Away’ starts off with a 1970’s middle-of-the-road sound, but it becomes much more progressive and hypnotic as it moves along. ‘All of My Days’ is like an exuberant Auteurs number, and Leigh’s guitar solo on it recollects a fiery Will Sergeant. ‘Years’ opens up in ‘Harvest'-era Neil Young style while a second slide guitar adds country sadness to the tune. Halfway in that slide guitar goes backwards giving the track an element of something from the Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ before it returns to its ‘Harvest’-style roots. ‘Departed’ sounds like a perky Bunnymen acoustic track fronted by Haines, and ‘By Your Side’ recollects a mystical George Harrison at the time of his 1974 solo album, ‘Dark Horse’. A summery feel flows from the music while Leigh’s vocal on it is like a lazy Tom Verlaine. ‘Sunday Afternoon’ has a lovely, lazy air. ‘Just One Wish’ has a pleasant mid-70s flow, and ‘Seaside’, which closes the album, is a well-balanced mix of the Auteurs, the Velvets and Neil Young. A first-rate album.

Track Listing:-

1 The Turning of the Tide
2 Dare to Shine
3 Slipping Away
4 All of My Days
5 Years
6 Departed
7 By Your Side
8 Sunday Afternoon
9 Just One Wish
10 Seaside

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/whitesailsban

Label Links:-

http://ruskaproductions.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/RuskaReco