Coupled With is the new album from
The Wildhearts, and it's a rock n' roll roller coaster from a band who love what they do and it shows in the music. With the recent Brit award success of ‘The Darkness', the timing of this album couldn't be better, given the renewed hunger in the UK for hard hitting chorus rock.
And the
Wildhearts are certainly capable delivering the goods. Since their seminal 1991 debut 'Earth Versus The Wildhearts rolled in with rave reviews, this UK band have had a small but loyal and dedicated following. But
The Wildhearts are a rockers rock band, with a reputation for good ole' fashion trouble making and for having a tough time holding together. So far their highest achievement has been charting at 17 in the top twenty charts, giving their fans a couple of classic performances on Top of the Pops. No where near the level of accolades their committed fans feel they deserve.
Could 2004 be the year that the Wildhearts stay together and reach beyond ‘those in the know' for mainstream success?
Perhaps not on the back of Coupled With. As enjoyable as elements of this album are, this is an album more directed at the current faithful than at the mainstream. It's a little too unusual for the mainstream rock fan.
A collection of B' sides and other obscurities, Coupled With gives the band chance to flex their musical muscles in a slightly different way. The groups B'sides are traditionally an outlet for lead man Ginger's more eclectic song writing.
And it shows, with Coupled With a very mixed bag of hard rock styles. While the result will not be to everyone's liking, it's driven by a passion that is undeniable. The Wildhearts are having a blast and don't care who knows it. And the band more than meet their musical reputation for furious paced guitar riffs, under laid with complex melodies and driving hooks. In the best tracks they excel at taking little touches of sound from differing rock eras, melding them into their harder sound. From enjoyable rock choruses to harsh punky numbers, they do it all here. Not always perfectly, but this is a very mix and match album at best.
The pure joy of the playing is what carries Coupled With over. There's a fantastic version of the ‘Cheers' song earlier in the album that turns the sedate TV theme into a fully-fledged rock anthem. These guys don't take themselves too seriously and the freedom in that comes across in their sound.
Unless you're a dedicated fan however, you'll find yourself listening to a select few tracks, which shine above the rest, like the joyful chorus with an edge, Putting it On, the rocky 6:30 Onwards or the almost honky tonk Better than Cable. And of course the Cheers theme, which must be a hell of a crowd pleaser in concert.
The Wildhearts are currently on tour in the US with The Darkness, (The Darkness lead singer Justin Hawkins performed on their last album) and are due back in the UK in April. Touring with The Darkness should help raise their profile, but Wildhearts won't be breaking the mainstream barrier with Coupled With. This one is really for the fans, who'll eagerly await their next ‘full' album as the one to bring
The Wildhearts to the masses.
3/5 Stars.
Record label : Gut Records
Release date : April 2004
Written by : Sam Bandah
