Like his 2021 seventh LP Following the Moon, this eighth by London singer/guitarist Simon Berridge proves that his ‘60s/70s-inspired, Teenage Fanclub folk-pop meets lighter Bevis Frond psych-rock, led by his easy-going, Ray Davies-hued vocals, ringing acoustic, and gravelly electric, remains intact. The pastoral “Leonard’s Chair,” whimsical title track, and vivacious “Jean-Luc Godard Directs” (a nod to his 1968 Rolling Stones film Sympathy for the Devil), each enhanced by soulful backing vocals, Ollie Parfitt’s groovy, rolling keyboards, and the breezy rhythms of bassist Ed “Cosmo” Wright and drummer Sam Kelly, are joyful and uplifting. So are the piano-flecked, A.C. Newman-esque “Not Over Yet” and the horn-shaded, American Music Club-tinted “Carlito’s Way.” Even the jazzy/funky “Song For Elon Musk,” fortified by Anna Masic’s rousing harmonies, feels euphoric, not indignant.
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“Forest Mountain Forest”
“Jean-Luc Godard Directs”
