Giant Killers: Around The Blocks
Little Genius Recordings
Stream / Download
Giant Killers continue their phoenix-like rise from the ashes of their ill-fated ’90s incarnation with the release of their exceptional new single.
When LTW reviewed Giant Killers‘ outstanding album, Songs For The Small Places, we described opening track and current single Around The Blocks as ‘…the best song The Lightning Seeds never wrote.’ While this might serve as a useful style guide to the uninitiated, looking back, it was undoubtedly doing the band a disservice. Giant Killers are doing it for themselves and, in their case, comparisons probably are odious. However, the depiction of the song as a ‘…ludicrously catchy picture of mundane life’, certainly holds true. Giant Killers have a remarkable ability to make the commonplace seem moving and the simple act of growing up feel simultaneously joyous and heart-rending. And although Around The Blocks is a rather downbeat portrayal of suburban life, there’s always a hint of optimism just below the surface; ‘So you’d best hold the one you love, though you may not be very good, you know that you’ll get better in the end.’ A beautifully produced and melodious track, Around The Blocks is a song which will remain with you long after it has finished playing.
The first bonus track, the deceptively jaunty Normal Service (Will Not Be Resumed), is a bit of a departure for Giant Killers – more social commentary than social observation. Dealing with our ability to become desensitised and impervious to events happening beyond our own backyards, Normal Service certainly makes you take a look in the mirror; ‘So I don’t really care about what’s going on, as long as it’s a million miles from here.’ The song also differs stylistically, with a hint of ’80s synth-pop contrasting nicely with the ‘A Side’.
Completing this delightful package is Fighting In The High Street, a reworking of Billy The Kid, another stand out track from the album. Recorded live at the Louisiana, Bristol in 1996, the acoustic guitar and percussion lend this tale of youthful indiscretion turning into middle-aged acquiescence a particularly mellow feel which suits the song well.
If you don’t know the Giant Killers’ backstory, the album link above will tell you a little more. Suffice to say, the band and their wonderful music were almost lost to the world. They may be a little older and wiser, but the fact that they are once more a going concern rather than a mere footnote is something for which we should be very grateful.
All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin for Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.
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