Occultation Recordings have only just uploaded the tracks on the preview page, but here are some initial thoughts on the Come Home EP from Rarebird 9 in the US:
Distractions "Come Home" EP (2010)
More great news for those lucky few of us who are fans of The Distractions, the unjustly overlooked Manchester band who released only one full-length album called Nobody’s Perfect in 1980. The U.K. music label Occultation, who recently brought us a three-song EP of previously unreleased Distractions recordings from a short-lived mid-‘90’s reunion, are now set to release an EP featuring three songs resulting from another Distractions reunion earlier this year.
The official Occultation site has streaming audio of the three complete songs from the Come Home EP, which the label plans to release on 12” vinyl in early November:
The three songs on the Come Home EP were recorded in June of 2010, by a lineup consisting of original vocalist Mike Finney, original guitarist Steve Perrin, bass player Nick Garside (who was a part of the mid-‘90’s lineup), drummer Stuart Mann, and guitarist Nick Halliwell.
The first two songs, “Lost” and “Nicole”, were both written by Perrin. These songs are no more upbeat than the ones on the recently released Black Velvet EP – which was recorded 15 years earlier – but they are slightly more up-tempo, with a more noticeable guitar sound. Both songs convey complex emotions, but Finney’s touching vocals make the listener feel those emotions as if they were simple to understand. The subtly ringing guitar sound gives those songs an added emotional undercurrent. This guitar sound may be partially attributable to Halliwell, who was on loan from Occultation label-mates Granite Shore. Halliwell is described as a “long-time fan of the band”, and he is the author of the EP’s third and final track “Oil Painting”. “Oil Painting” is a five-minute ballad that is more reminiscent of the Black Velvet EP. Halliwell’s uniquely expressive lyrics are well-matched with Finney’s convincingly emotive vocals, and that gently ringing guitar sound gives the song a fitting foundation. It’s hard to immediately determine if the Come Home EP is in the same class as earlier Distractions recordings, but it certainly does show them in fine form after their second 15-year hiatus, displaying many of the same qualities which made them special in the past. Let’s hope that more new recordings are forthcoming, with less time in between.
The Distractions “Come Home” EP (Occultation YMIR7DA008) 2010
Track Listing:
1. Lost
2. Nicole
3. Oil Painting
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