The Sleek Midwinter (I Heard Myself In You - January)

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Product:	I Heard Myself In You - January
Date:	14.06.01 (295 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A Beguiling Debut.

Disadvantages: The Wait Until The Follow up.

He may have his faults but Alan McGee certainly knows how to spot a good band. After the collapse of his previous label, the legendary Creation Records, it was only going to be a matter of time before he got back to doing what he does best. And so it came to pass that the Poptones record label was born. McGee's eternal quest to find the perfect band is back on.

Poptones has a long way to go to eclipse Creation Records but in a short period of time McGee has amassed some of the brightest talent from these islands. Cosmic Rough Riders released their debut, 'Enjoy The Melodic Sunshine' on the label last year. It is a breezy folk tinged romp that certainly deserves your time and money (pssst it is going cheap on Amazon too!).

January are the latest Poptones band to release an album and if there is any justice they will be the first major success for the new label (it seems that The Hives are going to get there first!). This is because 'I Heard Myself In You' is nothing short of wondrous. It is fast becoming my favourite album released of the year. Songwriter and vocalist Simon McLean has a hugely ambitious streak matched only by Sarah Peacock's lavish guitar strokes.

Wherever you look on this album you'll be struck by the beauty of January's music. It has a laid-back acoustic stance but is certainly not limited by this ambition. There are quite a few introspective moments liked 'Fused' and 'Invisible Lines' but the album exudes a sonic energy that belies it's somewhat minimalistic approach. 'Invisible Lines' is a particularly absorbing, harmonious slice of shiver inducing pop. Just perfect for the moment you discover that elusive Thai beach.

'All Time' starts off so acoustically, its hard to pick up on the chords. Quite out of the blue then it attains the aura of an epic, the guitar layers fuse and play off each other perfectly. McLean sounds starstruck yet powerf
ul and the whole effect is uplifting even though it's inspiration has its roots in melancholy. The final minutes contain some supremely ragged guitar effects that propels the whole affair.

'Sequence Start' has a fragmented feel to it with the jaunty guitars camouflaging the carnivorous riffs that lie ahead. Taking surreal pointers from the Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) handbook of hazy distortions is one thing but conjuring something that the great man would be proud of himself displays January's immense potential. 'Sequence Start' is one of the outstanding tracks in an album filled with highlights.

'Contact Light' has Peacock pulling the sweetest of guitar chord progressions this side of jangle city. Not for the first time the singer sports that familiar shoegazing vocal of old. It is wispy, etereal and imbued with a heart breaking sadness. In the context of the most sublime of riffs, this is deeply affecting stuff. January remind me most of a Scottish band called Whiteout who were capable of writing little pop gems. One thing that still puzzles me about Whiteout was why their best songs only appeared as b-sides on their single releases.

'Projections' has a crawling country chord. Its sweet harmonies are a constant feature of the album as a whole. 'Through Your Skies' has notions of 'Carnival of Light' period Ride with vocals that resemble Mark Gardner, while Sarah Peacock could easily be Andy Bell toiling with a slide guitar in the background.

Elsewhere 'Eyes All Mine' has a neat repetitive bassline, sandwiched between gorgeous guitar slivers, moog dalliances and Mclean's weeping vocals. Live favourite 'Falling In' is like that track you normally uncover at the end of a truly great album where the band rawk out under a blaze of guitar fury. Thankfully this approach more or less succeeds even though it sounds curiously not of this time, in an ea
rly Verve type of way.

'I Heard Myself In You' espouses a forever changing guise. It resembles a collection of songs taken from several different albums. While the music often takes centre stage it is hard not be taken in by Mclean's words. There are glimpses of January's influences on nearly all of the tunes but their sound is robust enough to stand proud as their unique creation. This band are supremely gifted and 'I Heard Myself In You' is a courageous album full of promise. Anyone with a soft spot for shimmering guitars and soft textured vocals will be blown away by its quality. It is surely only a matter of time before the world becomes entranced by their spellbinding music.

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