The Sheffield Scenester

Refreshingly diverse. Though at first unsure about the sheer variety of style Pisco Sour Hour’s A Hammer to The Camera Lens displays in its eleven tracks, I was left with a satisfying
post-roast-dinner-esque feeling in my stomach when I had finished listening. Very Elvis Costello in places, the Sheffield based four piece burn the candle at both ends, but their light shines brighter as a result as we engage with their eclectic mix of experimental punk rock, folk, jazz and soul.

The album opens with a Bang, although admittedly purely in terms of track title. A casual introduction to the collection, Bang is nothing particularly memorable melody-wise, but incorporates a swing-sounding backing instrumental to make for a dancey track. The following Country Music began in a very Ocean Colour Scene’s Riverboat way, with a touch of the hand-jive in the percussion pattern.

This and the later Spot Monkey captures Pisco Sour Hour’s Joe Strummer side in terms of vocal and really epitomises the Punk vs. Jazz sound they encapsulate. I found Tanya to have a better opening than the previous tracks with its interesting blend of percussion, saxophone and keys. The lyrics were particularly interesting, and the mention of ‘son of a preacher man’ was proved appropriate as the vocals were reminiscent of the rocky tones of an early James Dean Bradfield. The instrumental fitted well with the melody, but I still found myself a couple of slices short of a full Quiche of Satisfaction at this point.

Wrong shoes. Appropriately named, Pisco Sour Hour have really found their feet with this track. I enjoyed it lyrically, the snoozy vocals being very Beatles circa Don’t Let Me Down. With its interestingly experimental instrumental, this track is refreshingly original. The only snag I would attach to it...is its placement in the album’s discourse. The funk rock sounds of Spot Monkey came as a bit of a surprise akin to that of a morning alarm after the sleepy, folksy Wrong Shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy punk rock as much as the next winklepickered mod, but the starkly close contrast of genres was quite uncomfortably abrupt.

I was expecting great things from the next two tracks, I’m on TV! and Lordy!, purely as their names were so enthusiastic. I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but my predictions were proved accurate as both combined 80s influences with a good vocal collaboration and decent lyrics to provide very interesting tracks. The lyrics in I’m on TV! excellently capture the essence of the modern media driven era, and Lordy! is arguably the catchiest track on the album. I loved Lordy!’s outro, listen for it, it’ll make you ‘ooooh.’

The final three tracks on the album present a commendable mix of soul, punk and velvety jazz tones. Rebuttal is an effortlessly powerful piece both vocally and instrumentally, and Only Hurts When I Laugh rounds off the album quite nicely, its smooth, soulful tones being quite the euphonious treat.

All things considered, I’d say A Hammer to the Camera Lens is definitely worth the listen. It’s a grower, and is undeniably interesting, so even if it doesn’t grab you at first, give it another bash because I reckon there’s something in this; I’ve had Lordy! stuck in my head for ages.

Reviewed by Hannah O’Brien.