Land Lovers 2016
The Rooks Have Returned
Worth the wait, a long-overdue comeback of Dublin’s melody diggers delivers a slew of nuggets.
Whether they reference a famous Russian painting or see themselves bringing a new season with a flap of black wings, this Irish band’s five-year hiatus is resolved in a wonder of an album. Energy abound, there’s also a veil of enigma to “The Rooks” who might as well be crooks if the bouncy “Life Of Crime” is anything to go by, but ominous croaks would come out of line here, among the multitude of hooks. The listener’s ears prick once the perky beats of “Springtime For The Mystics” announce the tunes’ joyous arrival, and the tension doesn’t let up until “Modern Pentathlon” dissolves the spirited jingle-jangle in silence, the song on Padraig Cooney’s lips taking a cinematic turn at every corner.
Venturing into a film noir territory for the sparse step of “Montecassino,” the quintet, still indebted to the ’60s intimate twang, spike romantic “Angeline” with kaleidoscopic sparkle before wrapping a folk tinsel around “I’d Do Anything” to stress its mood swings. So even though “Moratorium” is dipped in sweet fatigue and “Crowd Of Lungs” may seem to yearn for days of yore, their guitars-and-organ swirl scream for tomorrow. That’s the ground LL stand on now once back from limbo – for good.
****1/3
