It’s harder to be older school in rock and roll than having a brother that’s a founding member of the Who, and a dad who was a musician in the Big Band era, but that’s what you get here with guitarist/vocalist/composer Simon Townshend. He’s got a tight little band here with his son Ben on drums and Tony Lowe on bass and piano. The songs have an energetic crispness to them, such as “Forever and a Day,” while “Electric Friend” sounds like an out take from Who’s Next. A couple nice acoustic pieces include Townshend’s touch on the mandolin to add a dash of flavor (as on “She Asked Me”) while “Still Love” includes some celestial strings as a perfect complement to the leader’s earthy and earnest vocals. Blows away all the navel gazing material put out by introspective indie rockers.
Eagle Rock Records