‘THAT SWEET SPOT BETWEEN CAST AND THE LA’S’ | NEW CAST ALBUM SET TO BE THEIR SEMINAL TREASURE
CAST ON COURSE TO SCORE FIRST TOP TEN ALBUM IN 25 YEARS
Pivotal figures of the mid 90’s Britpop revolution Cast find themselves on course for their first top ten record in 25 year with Love Is The Call.
Released 16th February 2024, Love Is The Call is an album years in the making. Marking itself as Cast’s seminal record, John (Power) himself says, “This is the record that Cast never made but needed to make. And it’s the record that I needed to write. It’s been bugging me for a long time – it’s been asking to be written and asking to be recorded because it’s in that sweet spot between the beginning of Cast and the end of The La’s whilst neither being a parody of either.”
With the encouragement of friend and industry expert Alan McGhee (Creation) alongside the artistic and mental support of legendary music producer Youth Martin (The Verve, The Charlatans, James), Cast have managed to pull off what is their finest record since their ’95 breakthrough ‘All Change‘ (Sandstorm, Walkaway, Alright).
The record opens with ‘Bluebird‘ – a gloomy stripped back acoustic track which blends Zeppelin style folk guitar melodies with deep hearty strumming bringing focus to the raw vocal track. At just 90 seconds long, ‘Bluebird’ packs in plenty of impact. Like the preluding chapter of a story, the tone brightens as the song plays – like a sunrise injecting optimism, ‘Bluebird’ sets the tone for the duration of the album.
Setting the tone but not the style for the album, ‘Bluebird’ is no real indication of the soundscape that Cast are going for here. ‘First Smile Ever’, is nothing short of uplifting and it becomes apparent through listening to the journey of the album that optimism was the brief.
“That song is what I think is the most contemporary song on there. It’s looking out on our decaying, urban metropolis and realising that it’s turn it’s back on us. It’s not a political song, but the verse of ‘take a look outside and tell me what you see a world that’s turned heartless and it’s turned it’s back on you and me’ and all of that. The chorus though is massive and I thought that could have been a single, maybe if we were a bigger band that would have been a single. I think what we had to do though was create an identity for the album.”
With deep resonating verses, and uplifting choruses, ‘First Smile Ever’ is an instant favourite on the album. The injection of a psychedelic middle-eight sitar bridge transports the listener, blending the two different sides of John Power’s musical background into one delightful song.
‘Rain That Falls’ and ‘Faraway’ are again both solid tracks, with the latter becoming the albums lead single released at the turn of the year. ‘Rain That Falls’ is as ‘brit-pop’ that this album is gets and probably the closest resemblance to All Change‘s ‘Alright’. Simply, it’s as Cast as Cast can be.
The albums first singles ‘Love You Like I Do’ and ‘Love Is The Call’ keep the jingle-jangly pop element found more so within The La’s (There She Goes, Feelin’), which of course John was a core member of during the 80’s and early 90’s. Both rosy, bluesy and lively tracks with hooking choruses easy to sing-a-long to.
‘Starry Eyes’ is a personal favourite on the album. Crashing in with a pounding drum beat and progressively layering the track up with a rich base and crunchy off beat rhythm. Full of dynamic melodies and wonderful key changes, this song could have been the lead single. “If the album wasn’t jam packed with all these great tunes then Starry Eyes would have been a single” John tells us, “I think we had to come back with something more swashbuckling”.
This general run of tracks sets aside this record from the rest. John shares “This was always very much an album. This is the difference between certain records, as an album it was framed and the songs had a vision, a vibe and a whole idea.” This is probably where Cast bring their vast experience in the most. Writing a good song is one thing, but creating a great album is another game altogether and Cast have pulled this off and the final result reflects that vision.
‘I Have Been Waiting’ rattles in just as punchy. Full of sonically powerful guitars and battering drum fills, there’s a bit of everything going on there to get your head around. ‘Look Around’ is just as strong with a poppy ear-worming chorus.
“For sheer thrill seekers, I think Love Is The Call, Starry Eyes, I Have Been Waiting, Look Around – that run of songs there – you better buckle in for them. Like white knuckle ride with sonic guitars” John Power
The final two tracks are a welcome breather after such a rough ride. ‘Time is Like a River’ is an evolving psychedelic trip of a song. Much gentler but lyrically probably one of the most profound. ‘Time is like a river, it drifts off to the sea, drifting out forever, endlessly’ captures a deep sense of reflection. You can’t get time back, and it will only keep running away from you ‘Washing over you and over me’. Ripping with a real bluesy vibe to it, the lyrics and music intertwine seamlessly, working together to create not only a sound but an experience.
Little pockets of psychedelia are purposely placed throughout this album and they all seem to come to peak in this penultimate song. When we hit the bridge around two and a half minutes in without warning the song morphs into a carnival-esque kaleidoscope, totally knocking the listener off camber.
‘Tomorrow Calls My Name’ is a little more stripped back but again digs deep to resonate with it’s listener. John shares, “The last track, tomorrow calls my name, seems to be the one where everybody gets a sort of Adams apple, a bit of an ache, there’s a pure emotion captured.” This final track is probably the most reminiscent of 1995’s All Change. Sounding like the more seasoned older brother of ‘Walkaway’ whilst repeating the line ‘You know it’s all going to be alright’ brings us right back to ‘Alright’. ‘Tomorrow Calls My Name’ is a Swansong for not just Cast, but for John personally.
“This record was all about writing one last seminal record. I actually thought for a long while – I even said to the band, you’ve got to look at this as our last record – I don’t think I can dig that deep again.” John Power
And of that profound note, I think that summarises Love Is The Call. John’s passion for this project is projected within his vision and it’s end result delivers exactly that and the beautiful fade out on the finale track leaves you hanging on a breath.
“I’m liberated by it, I feel detached because I know I’ve made a great record and if somebody doesn’t like it then I don’t know what to say to them. It’s just not their cup of tea, it’s just not your vibe. I know that for the band, this is the record that we needed to make and that gives me a real liberation from being needy. I’m just thrilled we’ve got something worth talking about“. John Power
Read part one of our interview with John Power from Cast HERE or click the link below to listen to the full conversation below.
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