THE PROCLAIMERS – Let’s Hear It For The Dogs (Cooking Vinyl COOKCD616W)

proclaimers 2015Enjoying a resurgence in popularity in the wake of the Walking On Sunshine film, the Reid twins return with their 10th album, the follow up to 2012’s Like Comedy and their highest chart entry since 2007. Although essentially business as usual with rousing melodies and crowd-friendly choruses, this time round they’ve been produced by Dave Eringa, best known for his work with the Manics. He’s brought a similar fullness of sound to the table to the likes of the anthemic ‘In My Home’ with its massive Spectorish orchestration and the soaring ‘If I’m Still Around’ as well as the punched up guitar work to be heard on the rock ‘n’ rolling ‘Then Again’ (the duo’s response to the Savile scandal and other sexual abuse behind the TV cameras and in Westminster paedophile rings) and ‘The Other Side’.

As usual, it’s a mix of balladry and uptempo material, the album heading out of the traps with ‘You Built Me Up’, its urgent punk influenced flurry and galloping drums offset by the gentler melodics of the nostalgic ‘Tuesday Afternoon’ and soulful swaying, piano backed album closer ‘Moral Compass’. As ever they entwine the political and personal, the former potently so on ‘What School?’ which reflects on Scottish sectarianism while the country-toned, organ-backed ‘Ten Tiny Fingers’ has Craig singing about (presumably) the birth of his second daughter, 21 years ago, without tumbling into schmaltzy sentimentality.

As I say, there’s nothing new here, but if you’re a fan, old or new, then you’d be barking not to take it for walkies.

Mike Davies

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Artists’ website: http://www.proclaimers.co.uk/

‘You Built Me Up’ – the official video: