Guild League - Inner North

by Tommy Gunnarsson

published: 17 / 1 / 2005

Label: Matinee Recordings
Format: CD

Convincing indiepop on second album from the Guild League, the side project of the Lucksmiths' Tali White

Review

When I first heard about the Guild League a couple of years ago, I must say that, to say the least, I was stunned. Members of some of my favourite bands had got together to make a record, and it couldn't be anything but great, could it? Well, the first taster, the single 'Jet, Set... Go!' was a bit of a letdown, and when I finally got to hear the full album, 'Private Transportation', I was even more disappointed. Not that it was bad, but I thought I could expect more from these guys. Now, the Guild League are back with a new album, recorded after the Lucksmiths toured most of the world in 2003. Pete Cohen, the bass player from Sodastream, is no longer a member, which is a shame. But then again, this is the band of Tali White, more famous for his singing and drumming with Australia's finest, the aforementioned the Lucksmiths. And that is why I can't help but to make comparisons to his "regular" band, as it's his voice that can be heard on the recordings of both bands. 'Inner North' starts off with one of the slower efforts on the album, "Animals", and even though it was quite good, I was not convinced just yet at a first listening. But I didn't have to wait very long, as 'The Storm', the second track, is more uptempo pop music in the vein of... well, the Lucksmiths. The only audible difference is that the drums are played on a full drumkit, and not just a snare drum, as Tali usually plays. A quick look at the booklet told me that Tali doesn't even play the drums here - Marty Brown does. To cut a long story short - the faster the songs the better, which is something that I think is the case far too often. Just listen to 'Shot in the Arm'" and you will see what I mean. But there are other good songs as well, for example the Belle & Sebastian-sounding 'Falling Ovation' and 'Scientists'. All in all, this album sounds far more interesting than the debut one, so I will keep an eye open for the Guild League in the future. Until then, I will sit down and wait for the next Lucksmiths album.

Track Listing:-

1 Animals
2 The Storm
3 Trust
4 Citronella
5 Shot In The Arm
6 Why Wait?
7 Time Please Gents
8 Scientists
9 Fingers Of Sun
10 Falling Ovation
11 Where Are You Now?
12 Shirtless Sky