You Thought You Saw a Shooting Star But Yr Eyes Were Blurred With Tears and That Lighthouse Can Be Pretty Deceiving With the Sky So Clear and the Sea So Calm - EP

A interesting change in direction from JoFo.

     

While I do appreciate Johnny Foreigner and their high octane brand of indie rock, I did approach this recording with some trepidation, as another album of similar songs would have certainly made me lose some interest. Seeing them in Leeds recently, didn't expel these fears, as although a great live band, the new tracks played didn't really hint at any real change in direction. Pleasingly however, although there are a couple of typical Johnny Foreigner efforts, particularly "Harriet by Proxy" and "Who needs comment boxes when you've got knives" there is a definite swing to pastures new. This album is the band maturing and introducing new aspects into their music that really do work well. The vocals from both Alexei Burrows and Kelly Southern are much more controlled and understated instead of the more usual near hysteria associated with their styles. "Robert Scargill takes the prize" and "Yr loved" are both gorgeous folk tinged ballads along the lines of Noah and the Whale and show a tender and more reflective side to the band. Part 1 of , "Elegy for post teenage living" while initially starting as Johnny Foreigner on auto pilot then moves into electronica territory for part 2 and again, shows them looking to explore styles and develop. Opening track "The Wind and the Weathervanes" is a mid tempo number that has an air of Husker Du about it, particularly in the vocal and even the aforementioned "Who needs comment boxes......" which although more in line with Johnny Foreigner of old also hints towards Bob Mould territory with a heavier guitar sound.

Whether this album will alienate some Johnny Foreigner fans who like to hear their heros crank out a certain style, I don't know, possibly. For me however, this is a brave and perhaps unexpected step forward and one that should be appreciated.