Album Review: Sixty-Five Summers

The opening guitar line of Ian Rushton’s new album Sixty-Five Summers, is a deliciously dirty intro that brought to mind Tame Impala’s 2015 track ‘The Less I Know The Better’, before immediately dropping into a snappy 70’s pop-rock introspection. 

It’s not just the opener, no one track on the album seems to commit to a particular genre or bearing and considering the artist refers to Sixty-Five Summers as a reflection of a life of experiences, this melding of influences and musical tastes, makes sense thematically. Even the album’s cover art is a nod to a life lived with stories to share, including childhood images and from his past (prolific) album releases.

The third track, Gatman Street, ingrains the sense of nostalgia imbued throughout the album and carried through the tracks Labour Of Love and Birkenhead is an almost cheesy, Paul Kelly, remember the old days energy, with an uplifting beat you can’t help but get into. 

There are some great glam rock moments in tracks 8 and 12 and his vocals throughout are reminiscent of a 70’s era Traffic or Al Stewart with an overall hopeful and earnest storytelling. The sometimes rushed lyric or ill-fitting melody and over-layered instrumentation is forgiven by a heartfelt authenticity of the stories being told, the places remembered.

The diversity of instrumentation is staggering, and while indulgent additions of bar chimes in the title track for example, detract a little from the simplicity and thoughtfulness of the song, the strings in Live To Fight Another Day are a welcome texture and I’m blown away by the breadth of instruments used, it really is a feast for the senses!

There is an unexplainable element of lifelessness to some layers however, and I suspect some sweet tech has helped out a bit, so I asked the man himself about who contributed to the instrumentation on the album. Mind-bogglingly (that’s a word), Rushton told me it was a solo effort almost in its entirety! 

“While it may sound like a cast of many, it was more like one reasonably tech-savvy old guy with a MIDI controller, a guitar, keyboard and probably way too much coffee and time on his hands!”

An undeniably incredible production from a bedroom studio. There’s great skill (I definitely don’t possess)  in what Rushton has created and it is no egregious scandal to make use of the amazing technology we have at hand, but thoroughly impressed by his music and the extension of his skills I may be, I can’t help but be left with a craving to hear the deep authenticity and reflection of Rushton’s songs, less affected. Perhaps a live performance is where I’d really feel these songs hit the soul-socket like they have the potential to do.

A talented musician and songwriter, a multi-dimensional and un-boxable album as a part of an impressive body of musical work. Certainly, the aim of the album as described by Rushton, is met. It is indeed, a musical journey, clearly reflecting a lifetime of memory and musical influence that creates a relatable sense of connection and nostalgia.