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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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The View
Hats Off To The Buskers
1965/Columbia Records
“I don’t know what I have done,” sings The View’s Kyle Falconer, “but I’m sure I will in the next five seconds.” Youthful irreverence, sure—after all, no one in this Scottish band is over twenty—but The View’s Hats Off To The Buskers perfectly captures the electricity of being young and cocky and blissfully uninterested in the consequences of bad decisions. That being said, the band’s debut has audible coughs, horny howls and rambling lyrical confessions but it all comes across so raw and racing, so exuberant and carefree, it’s hard not to want to join in on the fun. “Superstar Tradesman” and “Same Jeans” are blazing pop winners; the boozy swerve of “Skag Trendy” could slip unnoticed on Up The Bracket and “The Don” evokes Joe Strummer’s later work with the Mescaleros. While many young bands rely solely on velocity to stake their claims, The View prove they’ve got more than one speed: the oddly tender “Face For The Radio” comes across as a streetcorner version of Squeeze, while the aching “Claudia” finds Falconer pleading, “You know I have feelings, too.” These guys aren’t the next big thing—they are the big thing in the flesh right now. When Falconer sings “Sail away with me to see some sights,” on “Superstar Tradesman” it’s hard not to think that whether he’s got company or not, this is a guy who’s going somewhere. His band is, too.
—Alex Green
(From Amplifier)
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