After all these years, and after god knows how many songs sent to me by local bands, I shouldn’t be amazed by the breadth, depth and quality of the music coming out from O.W.C. And yet, this song blew me clean out of the water. I had heard of Levity Breaks but not got round to checking them out (yeah, I know, where have I been eh?) until I got the nod to review ‘Broken Hands’.
Oh my Lord, where to begin with how good this song is, how great the band sounds, how stirring the music is?
For my money, and you can agree or disagree, but this is how indie/alternative pop/rock should sound. This is the sound that so many bands start out with, get successful with and then turn their backs on for some reason best known to them and their record company bosses. Do I have to name them? Ok. Coldplay and Snow Patrol for starters. Get a couple of albums under their belts then out go the guitars, in come the dance beats, out go the meaningful lyrics and in come the ‘lyrics to wave you lighters/cameraphones to at Glasto’. Decent bands, ruined (sorry Gary).
Anyway, rant over and back to Levity Breaks and ‘Broken Hands’. Beautifully played, beautifully sung, thoughtfully written, wonderfully produced and a real sense of maturity that belies the fact the band have only released one previous single and their wonderfully titled ‘Maudlin’ E.P. There’s a real Irish feel to it all as well, without the exaggerated Nor’n Ir’n twang that bands are now prone to or any celtic frivolity. It just feels ‘Irish’ in the best sense: deep, soulful, melancholy, powerful, poignant. Absolutely wonderful. Once heard, never forgotten.
Now, I’m away to buy ‘Broken Hands’, ‘Maudlin’ and anything else from the band I can get my hands on. I suggest you all do the same.
‘Broken Hands’ is available right now at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/broken-hands-single/id734262212
