Minor Victories – Album Review by Killian Laher

So it seems we are entering supergroup era once again, in the form of the shoegazing Wilburys. Or Minor Victories if you prefer. The band is composed of Slowdive singer Rachel Goswell, Mogwai guitarist Stuart Braithwaite, Editors’ guitarist Justin Lockey and his brother, James Lockey from Hand Held Cine Club.

The music certainly sounds decent, but with each member having such illustrious pasts, the sum of the parts seems to add up to a little less than you might anticipate. It mostly sounds like Slowdive with a little more heft, mainly provided by some fine guitar work by Braithwaite. The keyboard heavy A Hundred Ropes will appeal to anybody who enjoyed Mogwai’s Remurdered on their most recent album. Breaking My Light reaches for Massive Attack-style grandeur, while Scattered Ashes almost achieves it through the backing vocals of James Graham from The Twilight Sad.

When the music cools in intensity the tracks fair better, Folk Arp and Out to Sea are drenched in 4AD (ask your muso uncle) floatiness, before they blast into a noisy orbit. For You Always stands out by having Mark Kozelek on vocals, the track comes off as pretty much standard issue Sun Kil Moon. That is, recent Sun Kil Moon, but despite Kozelek’s rambling stream-of-consciousness lyrics, there’s a warmth here that’s absent elsewhere. The Thief is a late highlight, with shades of New Order giving way to soaring guitars and pounding drums.

None of the tracks jar as such, and they sound like great effort was put in. However many of them slip by without making any great impression.

Track List:

1. Give Up The Ghost
2. A Hundred Ropes
3. Breaking My Light
4. Scattered Ashes (Song for Richard)
5. Folk Arp
6. Cogs
7. For You Always
8. Out to Sea
9. The Thief
10. Higher Hopes

Scattered Ashes (song for Richard):

Breaking My Light: