Oxford's most charming band released their third album 'Bonxie' on Cooking Vinyl earlier this year. After the mixed reviews of 2013's 'Tales From Terra Firma' they drafted in Pixies producer Gil Norton as they seek to expand their sound.
The experiments undertook occasionally provide glimpses of great things to come. 'Get Low' takes the classic Stornoway sound and sprinkles some production magic to take their sound towards the lighter works of Grandaddy.
However, too often, the quest for something new clashes with the identity they have already forged. 'Lost Youth' has some Lemonjelly quirkiness to it but does it really add anything? Meanwhile, album opener 'Between The Saltmarsh and The Sea' feels like a sub-standard King Creosote number.
Despite the new production values, it is within their archetypal sound where their maturity is plain to see. 'Man On Wire' is a slow building pop-cum-folk number which will warm the coldest of hearts that all Belle & Sebastian fans should gravitate towards.
'Josephine' is as simplistic as they cum. Just an acoustic guitar and great harmonies. The sea shanty feel to this song will offer audiences a chance to come together arm in arm. Questions such as 'are you sticking to what you know?' will inevitably be asked. However, the harmonies are infinitely better than anything they have produced before so, we give a resounding no to that question.
Stornoway's musical journey on 'Bonxie' has definitely trodden new paths. At times their vision is not always clear but their ability to write great melodies is so strong its rarely a problem. When the new production values served these melodies it gave them the new edge they were seeking but not often enough. TT hopes that their 4th instalment sees them nail this new direction and not be on the fringes of it.
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