The View are sick of being called ‘scallies’.
In their early days they were styled – by the press and themselves – as Scotland’s answer to The Libertines; confrontational, irreverent and armed with an exciting run of clattering punk singles.
But while The Libertines implosion was fairly spectacular, The View’s demise into indie irrelevance has been a far more muted affair. It’s a shame because, scallies or not, ‘Cheeky For A Reason‘ is a delightful pop record. Even if it is, by the band’s admission, about the same old stuff: birds, drinking and fighting.
Working alongside Mike Crossey, (Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks) the wall of sound Owen Morris instilled on their early records has been stripped away. Frontman Kyle Falconer‘s songs thrive under the new conditions. The band sounds more vibrant than ever before.
Opener and deserved lead single ‘How Long‘ is straight out of The Beatles‘ Red Album playbook. It starts with the chorus, (“how long has it been/since you fell in love with a boy like me?”) before a short detour through a few inconsequential verses. A quick fire guitar break, quieter bridge and then all guns blazing again for the final chorus. Brilliant.
Further down, terrace anthem ‘Anfield Row‘ is cheeky Noel-rock with a never-ending ‘Some Might Say‘ style coda and sentimental lyrics about leaving Dundee: “Because I love you, but I have to leave, this old town it suffocates me.” ‘AB (We Need Treatment)‘ is in the same vein as ‘How Long’, and fares reasonably well despite a mind-numbingly simple chorus. It also includes the album’s best line: “Life is full of shite behind the door”. There are still a few mis-steps. ‘Hole in the Bed‘ is a return to the clatter we heard on the ‘Hats Off To The Buskers‘ record, but comes off sounding as Joe Strummer pastiche. Meanwhile, ‘Lean On My World‘ is a Stereophonics-by-numbers and a bit of a dirge. But redemption follows with album closer ‘Tacky Tattoo‘, a beautiful McCartney-like piano ballad with chords gleefully pilfered from Oasis‘ ‘Let There Be Love‘.
In the lead up to this release, The View likened ‘Cheeky For A Reason‘ to Fleetwood Mac. For the most part – and for better or worse – it’s a fairly misleading comparison. The exception to this rule is ‘The Clock‘; a dark slow burner that lies somewhere between ‘Dreams‘ and ‘Rhiannon‘. Unsurprisingly, it’s the most mature sounding song on the album, and a worthy new direction if the band so choose.
Their best work yet.
