Ormondroyd: Hit and Hope (CD on Hackpen Records)

Band: Ormondroyd
Label: Hackpen Records
Title: Hit and Hope

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Band:Ormondroyd
Title:Hit and Hope
Reviewed By:Helen Tipping
Date Published:21/04/2007

Label:Hackpen Records
Format:CD
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Ormondroyd are from Sheffield and comprise of Ollie Birtill (vocals & guitar), Steve Mills (guitar and vocals), Rob George (vocals, keyboards & synth), Nick Portus (bass, vocals, synth, flute) and Gash Hill (drums & vocals). I warm to the CD straight away with its pictures of Sheffield lit up in its bowl of a centre at night with the Hallamshire Hospital dominating the view, which taken by my former work colleague and fellow Pennyblackmusic writer, Denzil Watson.

Opening track 'Wenceslas' is an instrumental which builds up with Christmassy jingles to a crescendo and then winds its way back down again. As an introduction of what to expect in the way of music, it's a good start.

The second track, 'DDD' has vocals followed by thrashing guitars which come to an abrupt stop as if it were being downloaded and paused. Ormondroyd play atmospheric music, which builds up and fades back down again like a summer storm. And as if in recognition of this the final track on the album is called 'The Storm'. They seem to have matured quite a lot since I saw them at The Grapes in Sheffield a couple of years ago, sounding more confident in what they are doing. I wonder if they still take the sock dryer with the spoons on it on stage. There doesn't seem to be any sign of it here.

Although there are a lot of thrashing guitars they are not above slowing it down to almost a ballad, as the acoustic music and gently sung lyrics of 'Quick Run' demonstrate. Even when the guitars and keyboards come in at the end it doesn't speed away from them. Other slower tracks are "El Potential' and 'If I'd Known It Was the Last Time I'd Have Opened Both My Eyes...." a poignant tale of regret. The fast and furious ending reflects the deteriorating mental state of the rejected one.

'The Storm' as previously mentioned, builds to a storm like crescendo and then stops suddenly. This, however, isn't the end of the CD, for the patient listener (or someone who whizzes ahead on their computer CD software). There's an extra track on the end. A rather folkier sounding number, and with me not having all that great a knowledge of Ormondroyd I have no idea what it is!

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Atmospheric and stormy debut album from increasingly confident-sounding Sheffield band, Ormondroyd

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Hit and Hope - CD
Atmospheric and stormy debut album from increasingly confident-sounding Sheffield band, Ormondroyd

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