What a week I am having, gem after gem are dropping into my mailbox and once again a great big grin is gracing my face, I am reaching into my closet for some leather soled shoes and the bathroom for some talc, sure, it is going to be messy but I don't care, listening to the songs of Mr Day, the bringer of todays heavenly foot tapping tunes, are just too great not to dance to!
I am a massive fan of Northern Soul but to bang on about all the old stuff that "us" fans already know about on my blog is like teaching granny to suck eggs!
Whilst Mr Day aren't strictly Northern Soul, that is certainly a major influence in their sound as you will discover a little further into this article. Another influence, to these ears would be Paul Weller and this is how I think Paul Weller would sound if he followed his passion for soul as opposed to his Humble Pie stylings, maybe?
During the writing of this second album, the band evolved naturally towards a more ambitious sound which clearly set them at the intersection of Rock and Soul from the 60s to now. With the arrival of second guitarist Julien Masson, fervent founder of Buttshakers, as precious on stage as in studio, the band decided to use 100% analog production and recording techniques: magnetic tapes, live takes and cracklings contribute to producing a rich and organic sound. Like The Roots, who, when working with Cody Chestnut become unclassifiable both in terms of gender and time, Mr Day is very far from being a revival band. On the contrary, Dry Up In The Sun appears resolutely timeless, that is to say in his vintage, yet modern approach. The beats perfectly coexist alongside the guitars, as in the great era of Primal Scream in the 90s. The alchemy seems perfect and natural on each of the 10 tracks that make up this inspired and mastered sophomore work.
Mr Day now define themselves as a real Pop band. Never stuck into copying and firmly rooted in music genre, this second album is built primarily on a song format and comes from a band continuously looking for a sound that uses and mixes their many influences into something unique and original. Dense, without any frills and contagiously smart, Dry Up In The Sun alternates without any misstep between a magnetic soul ballad like "Follow You," an exhilarating pop anthem like "Forgotten Realms" or a bright cover of "Queen of the Minstrels" by Cornell Campbell, for which the group recorded in a chapel in order to find some natural reverb and singular energy. In the end, it's all the fun and excitement the band felt while recording that we can feel and taste in return by listening to this album, both on record or on stage
One of the songs that I have had on repeat from the album is "Caveman" an absolute stomper of a song and possibly the best piece of Soul I have heard that isn't from the sixties, I have played this to several people, who all agree it is a foot tapper of the highest order!
I have to say, well, gush out really, this is the best blue eyed soul I have heard for a long time, I am absolutely loving this album to pieces, if you want to brighten up a rainy day, dance and grin like a Cheshire cat from ear to ear, buy this album for yourself and then buy a copy for everyone else that you love!
Mr Day are:
vocals /guitar : ERIC , drums / back vocals: REMY "ONE SHOT" , keys :
RAPHAEL , bass / back vocals PATCHWORKS, mojo guitars / back vocals :
JULIEN
Follow, befriend, like and love Mr Day here: FACEBOOK
Official Web Page: http://www.mr-day.com/
Label page (Buy the album here): Favourite Recordings/Mr Day
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