Album Review: Hatcham Social – The Birthday Of The World
The Birthday Of The World
Released 11th October 2015
Words: Greg Arthur
Much like Ryan Adams covering Taylor Swift in the style of Bruce Springsteen, Hatcham Social’s newest effort – The Birthday of The World– is Hatcham Social covering Nick Drake in the style of The Horrors (post Strange House). It’s not to say this is a bad thing, or that this is a bad record, but it doesn’t feel like it has enough about it to make me want to go back. Each of those artists mentioned above, from Swift with her sugary-sweet-slick-pop, to The Horrors not so newly found love of synths and weightlessness to their songs, all provide enough candour and enough hook for me to come back for me. The Birthday of The World provides me with a re-tread of records of past glory, with no new ideas.
One of the saving graces of this record, is that it is somewhat a record for musos, and the like of the newly formed and grubby Radio X wouldn’t touch this with their sexist and banal approach to broadcasting, but the likes of 6Music are likely to champion this. At least it will get a good hearing from the audience it was intended for, but this isn’t going to change anyone’s life. From the opener of provocatively titled Bucket of Blood, you’re immediately reaching for the footnotes (or a calendar) to check that this record was released in 2015, not 50 years previous. The detail to the production is fantastic, and especially on the opener, everything from the tone of the vocals to the scratchy guitars that almost sound like you’re hearing them through an 8-track tape recorder on a pair of ollllldddddddddd speakers – I’m talking just after gramophones became a relic. Still, the detail and production level aside, is this what we the listener are after now? Is this what this record is needing? A cleaner, yet not overproduced take of Bucket of Blood would have sounded fantastic, and not like a cliché.
I’ve never been one for backing vocals, not unless its anything by Radiohead, but one thing that seems to be Hatcham Social’s party trick on this record is the fantastic arrangements for other vocalists to jump in on the action. Bucket of Blood, A New World Calling and Darling are all either cleverly timed or have really beautiful arrangements. Again, stripping back the production and letting these elements of the record breathe would be a really neat idea, although nostalgia seems to drown them out.
Overall, this really isn’t a bad record. Musical arrangements – great. Use of backing vocals – great. Musicianship – great. Songs – they’re not bad. Production – expert level, but for me it took the wrong path and is what really has let the record down for me. What could have been an elegant folk/prog album, regardless if that wasn’t what they were originally going for, has been left as a try-hard, wannabe relic of 1967 via 2015. There actually aren’t that many mainstream, or even lo-fi bands making this type of record very well currently, and Hatcham Social had an opportunity to clean up. Would they have done a disservice to their body of work by taking a more clean approach? Would it sound like they’re selling out? Not at all. Look at Richard Hawley. Go back to Coles Corner and come through to Hollow Meadows. A path already trodden, but a clear example of honest music, reminiscent of times gone, not necessarily selling out, but not trying to be a relic, just being the best it can be. The Birthday of The World, although somewhat struggling, doesn’t feel like it’s being the best it can be. It’s just being.
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