Thursday 9 June 2016

CJ Wildheart - Robot

Genre - Hard Rock / Modern Rock / Alternative
Label - PledgeMusic / Self releasd / Vinyl Junkie Recordings / Devilspit Records

Track listing:
01 - The Robot
02 - Light It Up
03 - Ctrl-Alt-Delete
04 - The Box
05 - Sleep Deprivation
06 - Delirium
07 - F.U.B.A.R.
08 - No Rhyme Or reason
09 - I Got You
10 - Sasquatch
11 - Maureen (Fountains of Wayne Cover) (Japanese Bonus Track)
12 - Sick of Myself (Matthew Sweet Cover) (Japanese Bonus Track)
13 - Black Bugs (Regurgitator Cover) (Japanese Bonus Track)

Ok this album has been available for a couple of months now, (it was released back in March!) so I will keep this review short and sweet.
The Robot is the second solo album to be released by Wildhearts and former Jelly's and Honeycrack singer / guitarist CJ Wildheart. (His first solo release came out under the moniker CJ and the Satellites), the first being 2014's Mable.
The album sees CJ take a much heavier route, with the likes of F.U.B.A.R.' and 'Light it Up' highlighting a more aggressive sound. CJ adds "This is something that has happened naturally and also due to having Jason Bowld on drums. You can't help but go heavier when you have an engine like that behind your music." The Robot showcases CJ Wildheart as one of the best - and most underrated - songwriters operating in Britain today. Robot is him operating right at the top of his craft. It's a complex work, with songs that rise and swoop and deliver catchy beats "The Box", crunching power "F.U.B.A.R." and pace changes "Sasquatch" aplenty. There's not a bad track on here!
As for just how this album sound, well for anyone who is familiar with CJ's history it sounds pretty much exactly like you’d hope an album from someone with his back grund would sound. It combines  the gorgeous harmonies of Honeycrack, the bounce factor of the Jellys, the aggression and heaviness of The Wildhearts. In fact it would be fair to say that a couple of the songs here would have made fantastic additions to Wildhearts album!
Do yourselves a favour and check this album out!

Rating: 10/10

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