Skinny Lister
Songs From The Yonder
Xtra Mile Recordings
The great thing about an independent band such as Skinny Lister is that they can make the type of album they want to make. Thankfully, it transpires that plenty of people like their sound, meaning their forays into the charts have been by happenstance rather than design. Album number seven, Songs From The Yonder, continues very much in that vein; it’s a furious flailing of folky punk, but it’s played with such vitality you feel it could quite easily crossover into the mainstream. Tracks like ‘Set Us Straight’ are tankards overflowing with sing along ability and are fairly intoxicating, so much so that it’s almost impossible not to get swept along with their effervescence. Skinny Lister’s songs cover some serious subjects, yet they sugar the pill with a brand of shanty punk that flutters like a jolly roger in a stiff breeze. Yet, the band do slower songs equally well with ‘Tumbling Into Something’ adding a moment of respite, before the band burst back into life with ‘Bristol Bound’. Bringing the future of punk into sharp focus, Songs From The Yonder could be Skinny Lister’s crowing achievement.
Review by Peter Dennis.