Common Prayer – There is a Mountain

Tour Dates

“I keep singing in and out of tune…” whines Russo, a quirky, yet gentle refrain set against a humble backdrop of piano and finger picked guitar. An odd lyric for an album opener? Thankfully Common Prayer are odd enough to back it up.

“Principal Heretic” or band leader Jason Sebation Russo is an indie veteran. He spent the dying days of the 20^th century recording soundtracks for short films/ indie docs and touring the world as bassist for hazy-dreamrock mainstays Mercury Rev in support of their magnum Opus (teehee) “Desserters Songs”.

Since then he has been touring and recording, near constantly with Hopewell , a band he formed when just 19, displaying a work ethic to put his contemporaries and/or workaholic tour companions (Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Sleepy Jackson, British Sea Power et al ) to shame.

Some where along the line (if band bio’s are to be believed), he found himself in a soggy barn in rural Oxfordshire, surrounded by a gaggle of talented, yet unnamed and presumably faceless British pop musicians.

The band spent the next few weeks detuning their guitars, tickling the ivories and banging on scrap metal . The resulting noise has been captured for posterity and released as Common Prayers debut long player “There is a Mountain”. It’s quite nice.

There is a Mountain, is a charming mish mash of an album, where Brooklyn hipster affectations rub shoulders with old school brit-psyche sensibilities. “Hopewell” tips its hat to Flaming Lips, “Us Vs Them” nods coy recognition to the Thrills, piano tumbling out of the speakers, Russo’s Falsetto gliding high in the mix, a true festival anthem in the making. The creeping banjo of “American Sex” is genuinely disconcerting.

Perhaps the most pleasing thing about the album is how well the songs seem to gel. Sound collages, a concept oft tacked on to an album during the last 15 minutes of the mixing to imply indie credentials, are used in good taste and seem to take the listener on a journey. Importantly it sounds like the band had fun making it.

The current plan is for them to return to the Uk around Truck festival, I for one will be there. Pint of lukewarm lager in hand, singing along, and generally making an arse out myself.

See you there?