Treetop Flyers OLD HABITS. Loose

Reid Morrison On ‘Dancing Figurines’

“One day I had a look inside it [a box of old letters] and there was this one letter from an ex. And it struck that I was reading it with a new perspective. It brought up all sorts of emotions, and when I remembered the relationship, it was like we were just dancing around without ever getting to the point. And I was in the shower and the phrase ‘dancing figurines’ came to me. Then I thought about the stuff we did…it just fell into place really. A perfect shower moment! Then with the band, we has a jam and fell into this classic Fleetwood Mac, very straightforward, just grooving, nothing too complicated, just letting the words and harmonies do their thing.”

Reid Morrison On The Album Title

“We’re all getting a bit older, and a few of us have gone through a few different things. And I remember talking to Ned, and he used that phrase: old habits die hard. He was talking about the difficulty of leaving a band he used to be in, but obviously it could apply to all sorts of things: drinking, relationships, whatever. And it just stuck with me - it felt quite poignant in terms of where everyone was.”

Reid Morrison On The Recording Process

“He [Laurie Sherman] got very pernickity which was good, it worked out in the end, but we had to go through the annnoyingness of him going: ‘That’s not good enough, not good enough…! The right things came out of my mouth at the right time. For the first time I was like: no, I’m gonna say this. This is me, this is us, this is now.”

The Band

Reid Norrison - vocals, guitar
Laurie Sherman - lead electric, acoustic
Sam Beer - piano, electric, BVs, acoustic
Ned Crowther - bass, BVs
Rupert Shreeve - drums
Geoff Widdowson - sax, BVs

Review

The first thing I noticed on playing the record (’Golden Hour’) for the first time was the clarity of reproduction; its simplicity, its honesty. The second things was the strong Americana/rock flavour of the band’s music. Thirdly the dominance of electric guitars in the arrangement. Morrison’s voice is easy and right, the mode is medium pace, the vibe is contemplative, the melody is strong. The latest single ‘Dancing Figurines’ is a natural choice with its moderated tones, strong melody and choruses. The piano (played for the record by Richard Coulson) also adds to the drama of the track.

‘100′ is a swaying bluesy track with Morrison and backing vocals fronting a backdrop of military drumming. ‘Castlewood Road’ is one of my personal highlights with its gentler tone and pace with gospel backing vocals underpinned by a powerful melody. I’m reminded of the great Van Morrison with both the vocals and song.

‘River’ slows even further in a song that’s quite beautiful and highly emotional. It’s another favourite. ‘Old Habits’ is a melancholic, slow-train of a song that again hits the emotional button but even deeper…the concluding sax moments are superb. The record delivers a record full of excellent songs, diverse in pace and mood, while highly accessible. Recommended.

4/5

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