The heavy house that dirt built
It just highlights the diversity of his vocals and the band as a whole. The House That Dirt Built closes with the beautifully mellow I'm Stuck, where Swaby sings 'I'm stuck, until you make your mind up' in that soulful falsetto over delicate strings. Vocalist Kevin Swalby explained in an interview with Songfacts that the song Sixteen was inspired by a time. The title is a reference to the nursery rhyme This Is the House That Jack Built. However, the quality of the rest of the songs on the album more than make up for it. The House That Dirt Built is the second studio album by English rock band The Heavy. Or 'Love Like That' which easily has the worst production and mixing on the entire album. Like the bass on 'Stuck' being way too loud for a slow, calmly written song. The only song that really doesn't work is Cause For Alarm, a reggae effort that stretches the them a step too far and ends up sounding a bit try hard. Some of the production choices are catchy and groovy, but the mixing sounds obviously unfinished. With its rock-a-billy western style intro, it sets a fantastic scene and yet again, the band make the genre their own. Having released their debut full-length almost precisely two years ago, Counter Records funk rockers The Heavy return with a revitalised, fortified sound, aided by Arctic Monkeys producer Jim Abbiss and members of The Noisettes. Just when you're settling into the rock riffs and garage-punk, they throw in Short Change Hero. Yet The Heavy don't imitate, they create a unique sound that is diverse and stays fresh throughout the album. There are nods to retro greats like James Brown (How You Like Me Now?) and the guitar riffs of No Time are classic Hendrix inspired. The album flips from garage-rock to punk to a hint of country but has a soulful, bluesy sound throughout. Opening with an eerie monologue from a horror film, they then crash into Oh No! Not You Again! Easily the best track on the album: heavy garage-rock riffs, Kevin Swaby's soul voice taking on a rougher rock edge, and with backing vocals from the Noisettes, it kick-starts the album perfectly. It is a huge great mixing pot of dirty garage-rock, scuzzy punk riffs, the odd rock-a-billy love song and a whole lot of soul.Īmazingly, The Heavy manage to take all this and blend it into an album with an identity rather than just a collection of songs. The House That Dirt Built is The Heavy's genre busting second album.
Review of The Heavy's album The House That Dirt Built released through Ninja Tunes.