There is of course no rule on how many projects a musician can have, but listening to ‘Point Of Go’ does beg the question just how different Hugo Manuel’s solo Chad Valley moniker and his band Jonquil actually are these days.
Though ‘It’s My Part’ and ‘Mexico’ come steeped in that inexplicably Oxford-evoking guitar work, Manuel’s trans-Atlantic pop influences dominate, most notably on the sunset ambience of ‘Point Of Go (Part 2)’ and ‘History Of Headaches’’ amorphous backdrop.
It makes for fine pop music, yet you sense, somewhow, that there might be a reason why half the group left to go off and form Trophy Wife instead.
Simon Jay Catling
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