First Charge of the Light Brigade – First Charge of the Light Brigade

Album Review by Chris Buckle | 26 Aug 2014
Album title: First Charge of the Light Brigade
Artist: First Charge of the Light Brigade
Label: Aquitaine Recordings
Release date: 1 Sep

It’s a shame Glasgow’s First Charge of the Light Brigade didn’t manage to push their self-titled debut album out a couple of months ago, when the Commonwealth Games were in town. When it comes to marketing Scotland to the world, this brand of well-crafted, highly melodic and steadfastly earnest pop-rock has notable past form, and several tracks here might have made fetching accompaniments to any number of Glasgow-glorifying montages, given the opportunity. Ach well...

So warm and homely it was literally recorded under a bed (specifically, beneath a mezzanine bunk in producer Chris Gordon’s flat/home studio), First Charge… owes a clear debt to Del Amitri, with principal songwriter Yorick Cormack constructing his compositions from laidback, country-tinged guitar lines and plainspoken sentiment. The results are handsomely put together and pleasing to the ear, and though a lack of distinctiveness currently limits the band’s potential, they’ve time to score gold yet. [Chris Buckle]

http://www.firstchargeofthelightbrigade.com/