As I readied my trusty browser for the journey to The Long Insiders’ Myspace page, I knew next to nothing (a.k.a. nothing) about the band or its music. My contact had informed me that they play “a sort of variant on ‘50s surf music” which, although somewhat ambiguous and arguably historically challenged, had whetted my appetite for what was to come. So, with the wails of the imagined offspring of The Beach Boys, The Pixies, and The Screaming Blue Messiahs ringing in my head, I clicked on the link. Let’s go surfing!
‘Say You Don’t Mind’ kicks off promisingly with a rockabilly lead guitar, joined by a Stray Cats style backing of steady bass and tidy no frills drumming. It loses this Fifties rock ‘n’ roll vibe when the vocals come in; they’re light and tuneful, not at all offensive, but their perkiness brings back suppressed memories of Deacon Blue, particularly those songs where the female vocalist was allowed to do more than “a-ooh” in the background. This lurch towards the middle of the road is compounded by the “rock ‘n’ roll by numbers” lyrics – they scan and rhyme well enough, but they don’t really say anything, if you know what I mean. On the plus side, the guitarist works hard to add a bit of grit to the proceedings and I was pleased to hear some tremolo in action (surf could be up after all!)
‘All the Tears’ is more of the same, to be honest, but it does boast a promo video that’s surprisingly impressive, given the general potential for awfulness of these things. I’m not sure how the visuals relate to the song (doomed romance in the circus, perhaps?) but the filming seems professionally done and well edited. Song-wise, there’s no real advance on ‘Say You Don’t Mind’; the guitarist carries the song, delving again into his bag of tricks, while the bass and drums seem stuck on cruise control. Overall, this is still rock ‘n’ roll that’s off the peg rather than anything bespoke.
‘Devil in Me’ is better. The lyrics have more to say for themselves, the chord sequence is less formulaic, and the lead vocal evokes more of an atmosphere, although the shade of Deacon Blue still hovers over the backing vocals. The wailing harmonica is a useful addition, although I’d have preferred it to be higher up in the mix. As a whole, the song motors along, it’s short and sweet and leaves you wanting more. Things are looking up.
‘Liar’ has an interesting descending intro which signposts a promising destination, but it was a bit disappointing to end up in Chris Isaak’s neck of the woods. The male and female vocals join together in a dialogue which, given the subject matter, could have been incendiary and venomous (in a good way!) but there doesn’t seem to be any real passion in it. Both participants seem to be moody rather than passionate; they’d rather keep their cool than make their point. The bass and drums are a bit quiet in the mix for the most part, and the guitar a bit busy; a more interesting dynamic could have been achieved by a “less is more” approach and then pulling out all the stops in the instrumental section. The ending brings back the spirit of the intro and takes it further; the band gets to rock out a bit which is a nice change. As they used to say on “Points of View”, more please!
Last, but definitely not least, ‘Changeling’ is the best of this particular bunch, in my opinion, and wouldn’t be out of place on a Tarantino soundtrack. The bassist, at last, gets something more interesting to do and the, dare I say, pizzicato way of playing adds texture to the song and helps keep it alive. Here the vocals blend much better together and there’s a real atmosphere to the proceedings. I liked the “Telstar” echoes created by the almost subliminal high-pitched guitar in the background. All this and key changes, too, which help to progress the song rather than just being musical window dressing.
So, what’s the verdict? The Long Insiders strike me as a group of competent musicians who enjoy what they do and, as a result, play retro rock that doesn’t offend the ear. My only gripe is that I think there’s the potential here for more. If I were The Long Insiders, out there doing it rather than sat here writing about it, I’d be using ‘Changeling’ as my yardstick rather than ‘Say You Don’t Mind’. After all, retro doesn’t have to mean second hand.