Having been asked to review the Little Metropolis album (which has recently been funded through a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign) I sat down with an air of trepidation as those involved are good chums of mine, and the subject matter is a place so ingrained into my heart that it is indeed part of me and me part of it.
As soon as the first few notes hit me I was struck by how it reminded me of those heady days in the late eighties and through to the nineties, and the emotion of first hearing the likes of the Orb.
Josef Reeve has managed to capture the spirit of the time and place with gorgeously subtle use of downbeat electronica and this runs throughout the album.
Adam Horovitz has been, and still is one of Stroud’s greatest assets. "HE KNOWS STROUD" and this is evident in every word. He paints pictures of a Stroud when we were young and he paints it with such clarity that if you were lucky enough to be there at the time it feels like you are there again. But if you are new to Stroud for reasons of geographic movement (or too young to remember) this album will transport you there.
The inventive use of samples of stories from those that have fond memories of the area bring another welcome dimension.
One thing I really enjoyed about this album is that it compares to a damn good book (in fact there is also a book version available). One that you cannot but down and one that you read from start to finish. You will not want to break off half way through this album and you will not want to press pause. Each track leads you to the next with great anticipation.
If you think poetry ain't your thing, think again. If you think it won't speak to you cos you ain't from Stroud, think again. This album is as good as if Kate Tempest was giving a modern history lesson on Stroud (I love Kate Tempest).
I congratulate everyone involved in making this project happen as it's a wonderful addition to the creative back catalogue that Stroud has and continues to expand.
Adam and Joe are the two stars of this album, but at the end of my review there are FIVE STARS
Pick up a copy of our latest issue for our feature on the Little Metropolis project
Website: littlemetropolis.bandcamp.com
Facebook: facebook.com/littlemetropolisalbum
Simon Vincent is the owner of Trading Post (one of Gloucestershire’s oldest record stores) and has been running it since 2001. facebook.com/tradingpost.stroud