Leeds – Everything’s Dandy – Official Nerfed Llamas Review
Another best album that you’ve probably never heard of…
I am breaking radio silence (no new posts since January!) to spread the gospel about an album that was released this week that might be flying underneath your radar: Leeds – Everything’s Dandy.
Quick aside: In case you were wondering, I am doing quite well and writing like a typenado: that’s a tornado made of typing! I finished my first ever novel project last month, which I am querying to literary agents right now. Fingers crossed that I get represented. Not content to leave it at the one novel project, I have committed myself to finishing another novel that I started years ago. On top of all of that, I am writing a spec screenplay that started off as an endearing drama about a introverted male with Asperger’s that slowly falls in love with a woman with strong existential beliefs, but has since morphed into a winding tale with vignettes of side characters driving the emotional tone of the narrative with multiple musical segments for the main characters. It’s gonna be something else when it’s done. Bottom line, I am good and writing up a storm in such a manner that I haven’t had time to blog. That’s why you know if I’m taking a break from my writing, this album must be amazing.
Back on task: The good news is that Everything’s Dandy by Leeds is, in fact, an amazing album that is deeply personal, intimate, and finds singer/songwriter Royston Langdon at his most daring.
About the Album: After a brief reunion with Spacehog a few years back, Royston Langdon has struck out on his own once more with his newest project: Leeds. His debut album “Everything’s Dandy” is a departure from the glam rock sounds of his previous band. Opting for a more personal sound with Leeds, Langdon adventures past the rock riffs and into a wild sonic soundscape of folk, jazz, pop, island, and psychedelia. The results are often stunning, always poignant yet magically optimistic, and introspectively personal. If this is the caliber of music that we can expect from Royston Langdon in the coming years, then we are in for a real treat. This is the good stuff folks.
Leeds – Everything’s Dandy – By The Tracks
- You Can’t Go Home: A voice and a guitar are the primary driver of this slow, lingering cut that builds to terrific crescendo. It instantly made me think of Michael Penn’s daring “Long Way Down.” Both tracks are pure magic from artists that were willing to perform outside of the expectation.
- Your Day Will Come: This track has an intriguing interplay of spoken prose style lyrics intermingled with a beautifully sung chorus. An airy flute flies high above a pounding piano as the words reverberate to expand your mind. This song is fearless in its individuality.
- What Became Of The People: A powerful single, perhaps my favorite on the album. Langdon’s vocals are tremendously confident, the lyrics are introspective and exploratory, and the dual layered harmonies coupled with the fleeting keyboard work is a revelation. This track deserves a Grammy.
- Never Gonna Let Go Of Your Hand: Full disclosure, I love a sexy saxophone riff so I was in love with this cut the moment it started. This is another fine example of Langdon branching outside of his previous music stylings, now playing with jazz, new wave, and pop sounds to create a poignant, intimate sound.
- Someone: This song feels like a bookend to the Spacehog song “Deceit,” almost like a representation of how Langdon’s psyche triumphantly survived that dark and personal journey. “I don’t want to act my age anymore” is the lyric that always sticks out to me when I hear this track, likely because it lines up with my current thoughts on the matter.
- We Are Not Alone: A psychedelic trip into the mind of an ex-glam rock star, where hints of the old life show up in surprising and delightful ways. Synthetic vocals, a dancing piano melody, and a spirited lead vocal performance really make this song pop in all the right ways.
- Innocence: I love the clever play-on-words lyrics on display on this jazz-style cut. A coming of age tale spun in colorfully playful lyrics wrapped up in a beat that makes your want to wiggle your hips. Like a fungus, this song will grow on you with each listen.
- No No No: A reworking of a song that Langdon performed with a group named The Quick/The Tender Trio. Whereas the first time I heard this song as “Plates Are Broken” it was a roots rock tune, here it is an island jam with steelpans and a super chill vibe. It is amazing how much the instrumentation of a song can change the entire atmosphere of how the lyrics are perceived. If Langdon decides to revive another old tune from this era, I hope he selects “Raise A Smile,” I think he could do some magical stuff with that track.
- Leave The Dishes: A slow lingering song that has a melodically haunting vibe to it which pivots into a dizzying refrain that you can’t help but sing along to as Langdon sings, “round and down and up and down and round and down we go.” The maturity of Langdon’s artistry is on full display as he deftly maneuvers the wildly varying highs and lows of this cut. A melancholy pop delight.
Leeds – Everything’s Dandy is available to listen through Spotify and Apple Music. You can and should purchase the album digitally through iTunes or on Vinyl at roystonlangdon.com
