By Henry Lipput
Turn Around Or... is SUPER 8's second release this year. His T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! came out in January and was an immediately wonderful out-of-the-blue surprise release.
And, like T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies!, Turn Around Or… is full of a terrific mix of pop songs, love songs, and rock songs. It still has the warm, homemade sound that made the first album such a lovely listening experience. But the new album is more confident and, with a little help from his friends, has a fuller sound. If T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! was SUPER 8's McCartney, then Turn Around Or… is his RAM.
Some of the songs pre-date the new album but fit right in. One of my favorites from SUPER 8's internet days (before he was signed by Futureman Records) is the pop gem "Mary Jane." I was disappointed that it didn’t show up on T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! but I'm glad it's here on the new album. (I have to be honest: I heard this song after the record deal was announced when I first found out about SUPER 8.)
"Smile" is a mid-tempo rocker about someone who can make you both smile and sometimes even cry. The song has a real Stones feel but the demo version had even more of a raucous Keef guitar break. It showed up on last year's free Futureman Christmas download with other unreleased tracks from other of the label's artists.
And SUPER 8's cover of BMX Bandits' "Serious Drugs" made the rounds on Twitter after the Bandits' leader Duglas T Stewart became a SUPER 8 fan (Stewart has even said that SUPER 8's version is the better one).
One of the really cool things on Turn Around Or… is how SUPER 8 doesn't front-load arrangements. You don't hear all of the guitars, horns, and strings right away but as a song progresses he adds more elements. "Hey! Mr Policeman" rocks like nobody's business with its Keith Moon-like drumming and has a real sense of dynamics. The addition later on of a major horn section a la "Got To Get You Into My Life" makes it complete. The title song, a heavenly pop tune, brings cellos and handclaps to the middle eight.
Other songs I really like include the country rock "In The Morning" with its banjo and a mood-altering (the good kind) melody. The beautiful "Wild Apple Girl" starts out quietly like an English folk song with an acoustic guitar and violin, and then a prominent bass line and some bongos create a funky ending. The guitar sound and overall feel of "Never Had A Love" recalls The Beatles' "Girl." The song name-checks the lovers from Rocky and a near-rap bridge brings in Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy among others.
Listen to what the man said about Turn Around Or…: All killer, no filler.
Turn Around Or… is out now on Futureman Records.
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