Anchor Lane: Casino

The buzz around Scottish rockers Anchor Lane has become more and more incessant in recent times, high profile support slots, hard punching PR backing and a big name producer all lined up as debut album Casino looks to hit the jackpot. The sound backed to pick the winning numbers pulls from many places, a Foo Fighters 90s smack nestled neatly to a more modern Royal Blood rumble. However, the swagger that runs throughout undoubtedly comes wrapped in a 70s 12� vinyl sleeve, while the vocals from Conor Gaffney are no stranger to that era either.

It’s “Blood & Irony� that makes the band’s introduction and while it’s a confident mid-paced statement I can’t help but wonder if the more obvious riff fuelled follow up, “Fame Shame�, wouldn’t have been a better opening gambit. Anyway, who listens to albums in order these days? Well, I do, but no matter… What does become clear through this double punch is that producer Toby Jepson (ex-Little Angels/current Wayward Sons) has given these four lads the chance to shine, a bold, bright sound never feeling clinical or calculated. Although at times it maybe asks the band themselves to stand just a little too exposed in the glare of the spotlight.

Initially the likes of “Voodoo� and its low slung attitude fare well but as “Shell Of Me� struggles not to sound like what’s comes before and the Ricky Warwick (Black Star Riders) featuring “Dead Run� fails to shake off its ‘by numbers’ construction so the early promise wears away. Here and across a few of the songs on the second half of this 35 minute offering the guitars are often a little constrained, while the rhythm section plays it safe just once or twice too often.

At their best Anchor Lane show more than enough on Casino to suggest that their future is going to be a fantastic rock n’ roll romp. A few more risks along the way might have made this debut a little more memorable than it ultimately becomes, but as first outings go it’s still a creditable calling card.

Track Listing
1. Blood & Irony

2. Fame Shame

3. Voodoo

4. Casino

5. Clocks 

6. Stone Cold Hearted

7. Shell Of Me

8. Flatline

9. Dead Run (featuring Ricky Warwick)

10 Honey

Added: February 1st 2020
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Anchor Lane online
Hits: 1156
Language: english

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