LEVELLERS
‘PEACE’
(On The Fiddle Recordings)
8/10
Brighton squat/folk/rock and Independent Punk royalty the Levellers saunter through a thick nineties smog to deliver their latest album, ‘Peace’. The opening track (and the albums first single) ‘Food Roof Family’ is a typically beautiful, lyrically powerful and subtle Levellers anthem. The chopping pre-chorus words, drum and fiddle morph into a fist-raising and spirit-shaking crescendo. Next up is the crunchy fax machine opening on the Skids-Esque ‘Generation Fear’ while the second single ‘Four Lost Boys’ grabs for hope and remembrance as a remote Scottish Island’s darkest night is laid bare.
The Levellers have never shied away from any subject no matter how raw, personal or sensitive and ‘Peace’ is a release packed with such topics. ‘Burning Hate Like Fire’ urges the listener to slow the wheels for a second, just for a moment, a moment of reflection while looking into your own personal mirror before ‘Born That Way’ marries a seventies Petty riff with that unmistakeable Leveller’s string work and Chadwick’s distinctive delivery. ‘Our New Day’ kicks back against injustice with a bouncing backbone before the ‘Calling Out’ intro whisks in The Cult’s ‘Rain’, U2 with a touch of a disgraced glam rocker prior to Levellers normality returning on this somewhat cliched ditty. The pace slows for the emotive ‘Ghosts In The Water’ before two thrashing minutes of Folk-Punk on the bruising ‘The Men Who Would Be King’. The bands Brighton squat gets a nostalgic hug as ‘Albion And Phoenix’ removes the lead from the roof prior to the forward-looking album closer ‘Our Future’. ‘Peace’ is a chest patting, kiss blowing and reassuring Levellers listen.
‘Peace’ is released on August 14th. For more Levellers news including re-arranged tour dates, merchandise and the Beautiful Days festival head over to, https://www.levellers.co.uk/