reviews / 2016

SULK - No Illusions

Name: SULK – No Illusions
Item: No Illusions
Rating: 7.5
Author: Matteo Trapasso

2016 (Perfect sound forever)

alt-rock, madchester

by Matteo Trapasso

7.5

An era-defining phenomenon like Madchester will almost always find a place in the memory of English indie music. What we have to ask, though, is how you can regenerate a sound that has had its day – its own wonderful day.

This is certainly not a concern for SULK, who are more interested in song craft than in sonic innovation.

The latest album by the Swim Deep, “Mothers", already sounds more personal and fresh than the latest effort from SULK, to stay within this same scene. SULK, on the other hand, have their reference points clearly in mind, the Charlatans above all.

Already on their debut "Graceless" the band managed to stitch together excellent pop embroidery through the watertightness of the sound which conveyed a sense of confidence to the listener.

And from this point of view, one cannot help but notice the closeness to the band led by Tim Burgess. The Charlatans' sound is certainly shaped around the needs of the Hammond organ, whereas SULK don't use keyboards at all.

The burst of energy of the opener "Black Infinity (Upside Down)" has the epic contours that this kind of music deserves: the triumphantly marching drums and the honeyed guitar flourishes give us a fine lesson in the genre.

The opening sitar of "The Only Faith Is Love" aims for timelessness and lets us dream through the impetuous guitars of the Ride of the golden days, "No Illusions" has the pop splendor of the Charlatans, "Drifting" is the most swaying track of the bunch.

"One Day" is the turning point of the album, the ideal closer of a side, reminding us how important songwriting really is. We find ourselves facing a reinterpretation of beat music, but clouded by layers of double guitars, one aiming for jingle-jangle of the Byrds and the other with an indie-shoegaze stamp that fills out the wall of sound.

Up to this point we're dealing with a record that excels more for the quality of its songs than for any strict insistence on appearing musically superior; SULK live in the past, and when they write "Past Paradise" the signal is clear — there's certainly no shortage of compositional talent. Distortions and ghosts of the Hacienda come back to life for a minute, but the composition is genuinely interesting: the bassline, never as pulsating as it is here, pulls us into a musical fabric that's even more gripping on "No Illusions".

While "Queen Supreme" slips by without any particular ambition, "Love Can't Save You Now" — though it's not exactly original — has a mood interesting and enjoyable.

The last two tracks, on the other hand, have an ancestral melody hidden behind a wall of guitars, and while "The Tape of You" sounds full of regret, "Another Man Fades Down" manages to hold its own against the most deafening moments of Verve's "A Storm in Heaven".

This second outing from SULK won't be flawless in every respect, but even this time round they've given us a handful of memorable songs.

The debut released three years ago left us fine tracks like "Wishes", "Back in Bloom" and "Flowers", but this record is perhaps even better.

If the names mentioned so far are already on your usual radar, "No Illusions" could be the ideal record for an afternoon spent sunbathing on the grass.

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20/04/2016

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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Matteo Trapasso, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition