October 17, 2009

Album review: The Longcut - 'Open Hearts'

Well worth opening your own heart to

8 / 10 When Arctic Monkeys first proved that histrionic guitars could indeed look good on the dancefloor, lots of people thought that Manc alchemists The Longcut had identified a mutant strain that could save clubland. It didn’t happen, but the three-piece’s deviant house remains
a potent concoction. Fans of their debut ‘A Call And Response’ will find more of the same, but more so; witness how ‘Evil Dance’ operates the hips with its nefarious bass while moving the hands up to the air with piano flourishes that could sit on something by Deep Dish. Elsewhere, ‘Out At The Roots’ brings out the krautrock bile, while the title track shows they can do tender too. Marvellous, frankly.

Dan Martin

Click here to get your copy of The Longcut's 'Open Hearts' from the Rough Trade shop.