Land Lovers: The Rooks Have Returned album review - a homogeny of breezy jangle-pop

The Rooks Have Returned
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Artist: Land Lovers
Genre: Rock
Label: Popical Island

Like most bands related to the Popical Island collective, Land Lovers’ fanbase remains small (but arguably, perfectly formed).

Their third album won’t make them overnight sensations – mostly because while the Dubliners are exceptionally good at what they do, this collection is a little over-reliant on their tried-and-trusted formula.

That means that songs like Royal Jewellery, Life of Crime and Cartoons blend into a homogeny of breezy jangle-pop with wordy lyrics; on the other hand, the rollicking guitar, warbly keyboard and amusingly exasperated lovelorn lyrics of Angeline are a highlight, as are the strings that sweep through Montecassino, while the beat-pop of Crowd of Lungs is straight out of the Cavern Club in the 1960s.

The result is a decent album by a very good band.

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Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times