28 May 2018 - 0 Comments
World’s
Strongest Man is the magnificent third solo album by Gaz Coombes.
Inspired variously by Grayson Perry’s the Descent of Man, Frank Ocean’s Blonde,
Californian weed, British woodlands, unchecked masculinity, Neu! and hip hop
(and a whole lot more besides), it’s a truly remarkable collection of eleven
deeply personal songs each set to expansive, addictive melody. From the deep
soul purge of the title track’ to the coruscating Fripp-goes-motorik sprint of
Deep Pockets via the gorgeous cyclonic ballad Slow Motion Life and Vanishing
Act’s raw-as-hell stream of consciousness panic attack, World’s Strongest
Man is a bold, ambitious, free-thinking, future-facing rock‘n’roll record.
World’s Strongest Man is the follow up to 2015’s Matador – a
record pretty much conceived, recorded and mixed in the studio equivalent of
solitary confinement. Following its release, Gaz evolved from ‘the former
Supergrass frontman’ to hugely respected Mercury nominated solo artist in the
space of just ten months. That album spawned five singles and was described by
Q as “his masterpiece”. Like Matador, World’s Strongest Man was
written, recorded and produced by Gaz Coombes at his home studio and at
Oxford’s Courtyard Studios (with co-production from long time studio partner
Ian Davenport in a working process Gaz compares to what it must be like
“editing a novel”).
Tuning Fork, Auckland: 17 September 2018
My Ticketmaster presale: Tuesday 29 May, 9am
General onsale: Thursday 31 May, 9am
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