BEVIS FROND - Horrorful Heights

The unstoppable Nick Saloman seems to have found new lifeblood, thanks perhaps also to Fire Records, which doesn't seem to have any trouble showcasing artists sometimes cast aside by the commercial machine. The Bevis Frond project went through a long period of silence between 2003 and 2011, and its return to the scene proved rather convincing: after some worthy releases for old label Woronzow, good old Nick Saloman has enjoyed renewed recognition, cemented by the entry of the album "Little Eden" into the UK charts.

Twenty tracks and 87 minutes of music are daily bread for Bevis Frond fans, but fear not: "Horrorful Heights" is yet another vibrant mix of garage-rock, psychedelia, folk, new wave and jangle-pop, framed by a guitar style that recalls both Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young, as well as J. Mascis.

The new Bevis Frond album could be filed under classic-rock without ever sounding stale — quite the opposite: Nick Saloman is sharper than ever, the songs are catchy and confidently drawn ("Silver Insect"), full of enjoyable sixties nods straddling Byrds and Small Faces ("Buffaloed"), as well as tenacious, never gratuitous guitar virtuosity ("Space Age Eyes").

No need to beat around the bush: the Bevis Frond name is by now a guarantee for fans, and the solid songwriting keeps attention high despite the considerable number of tracks – a full 20 – with the Husker Du-like drive of “Draining The Bad Blood”, the knowing sixties romanticism of “I’m Gonna Drag You Into My World”, the cascade of Teenage Fanclub-style guitar chords in “Romany Blue”, the pedal steel of the gentle, melancholy “Best Laid Plans”, and the controlled fury of “That’s Your Lot” — none of it mere nostalgic whiffs, but yet more fine flashes of inspiration from one of the old guard's most prolific and gifted songwriters.

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16/05/2026