This may be the only recorded document denouncing copious reports that
Witness U.K.
is "Wigan's answer to
R.E.M.
"; this is a music journalist's quote found in the band's press kit. The only similarities to be drawn between the two bands is the sensitivity shared in their lyrics, earnest guitar work, and melodious and lofty vocal harmonizing. But many bands -- for example,
Travis
-- share these qualities. Honestly,
sounds like an
Americana
band, a
country-rock
outfit with elements of '60s
folk-rock
, set against a contemporary backdrop of mid-tempo music rife with textured guitars. (This is all truly unique since the band hails from the United Kingdom.) Lead singer
Gerard Starkie
's sensitive, searching, and dynamic voice sounds like a cross between
Barry Gibb
,
Neil Young
, and
Aaron Neville
. Now that this is all put to rest,
's second release,
Under a Sun
, is a poignant, melodic, thoughtfully crafted piece of music, and a moving listening experience. Several cuts best capture the band's seemingly wide-eyed wonder and its sometimes disillusioned view of the world and the people who inhabit it. The
Simon & Garfunkel-esque
"You Are All My Own Invention"
is delicate in its verses and it surges, vocally and musically, in its choruses. Elsewhere, the
-styled title track paints a picture of what it feels like to be a fragile soul in a cold and cruel world, watching it in awe as it quickly spirals around, leaving the observer sometimes dizzy. You get the feeling that
Starkie
, who wrote the songs' lyrics, feels like a babe in the woods, naked and vulnerable. How brave and refreshing it is to hear a band take this position and express it so well. This is a wonderfully textured album, full of sensitivity, warmth, wonder, and emotion. And
completely belies the sounds often associated with a Brit
rock
band. This wistful and pensive album looks out at the big world through the sensitive eyes of
. It sometimes makes you want to run for cover and hide someplace safe or go out and effect radical changes. In either case, it makes you feel -- more and more with each listen.
slowly reveals itself, and it's the gradual and continual discovery, among other fine qualities, that makes it such an infectious and important recording. ~ Liana Jonas