Phil Thornalley
Stacked
Pippo, The Magic Boy
Heavily inspired and with all the hallmarks of the best of Pop Punk, this isn’t quite what you would expect a 62 year old Phil Thornalley to encapsulate so well. Songs varying in style are sprinkled liberally throughout helping give this album that bit of an edge. Thornalley who has worked in the forefront and behind the scenes creating hits and making music with bands such as The Cure and Bryan Adams has teamed up with vocalist Casey Shea in the making of this album. His voice bathed in the Californian sunshine where he is from, perfectly fits the vision and vibe of this album. ‘Stacked’ is without a doubt a passion project that can’t help but bring a smile to your face upon listening. ‘Chorus Goes Here’ opens the album and is about the pitfalls of signing to a label and then having to toe the line in order to get your music out there. Upbeat and catchy with a killer hook it adds humour to a frustrating tale as old as time. ‘You Can Have Anyone’ sounds straight out of a pop punk tune from the early 00s. Guitar riffs reminiscent of a Sum 41 track and then comes the chorus that has that unmistakable early Blink 182 influence with lyrics to match about getting the girl everyone wants, it’s another banger. There are a few surprises on the album you wouldn’t expect such as ‘I Dig Rock N’ Roll’ which is more rock than pop influenced and ‘Hold Me’ which takes a more 70s Dance Hall influence. Thornally is an alchemist of song writing, and can quite literally turn his hand to anything producing exactly what he sets out to do.
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Review by Aggy Gillon