Granfalloonis the principal project of Richard Lomax, a Manchester-based songwriter and producer who has been creating music since 2003. After cutting his teeth fronting surf rock bands and the anarchic folk collective Johnny5thWheel&thecowards, he moved to Manchester in 2013. His third Granfalloon album “Positive Songs” comprises eleven tracks produced for ‘The Positive Song Project’ which was launched by Lomax during the first lockdown of 2020. It invited songwriters to create new music, challenging themselves to focus on positive aspects and feelings. So far, the project has resulted in the creation of over 300 tracks by artists from all over the world. This album is eleven of these cuts.
The album opens with `I Don`t Feel Blue` which is an upbeat dreamy composition that has a gospel like chorus with “I Don`t Know why, I don’t feel blue, I Don`t Know why, how `bout you?”.
It kind of bounces along at times with cello and acoustic guitar where the frets can be heard as the strings are played. A delightfully hypnotic opener. To me `The Pigeon` had a sort of retro almost psychedelic vibe at times. Another tune with a positive message which also had what i`m sure sounded like an interpretation of cooing towards the end.
`Save Point` was a wonderfully compelling listen with an underlying repetitive drumbeat allowing the vocals to speak and sing some intriguing lyrics relating to trying to achieve a place in a relationship that feels safe possibly. There was a summery, breezy feel to `My Tribe` which conceivably relates to finding a group of likeminded souls.
`The LUV Song` had a sort of country / Americana texture about it with a chorus of “If You want love then you’ve got to give love, Love’s a thing that you have got to dream of” more or less what you give, you may well receive in return. There was a stop-start nature about `A Holiday From Nothing` which had some dreamy organ surges, strummed drums and a guitar that had a sort of Afrobeat quality about it. A number that seems to encourage you to maybe take a break and recharge your batteries.
`The River Knows` seemed to be another song about relaxation and self-discovery. How would I describe it musically, maybe a slightly ethereal almost surreal journey. There was a Shangri-Las `Leader Of The Pack` touch at times to `See You Soon` but maybe it just had a slightly retro sense. A track that recalls a dream for a better, much more utopian world.
`Who You Are` is heavenly, a captivating soulful number that sort of rolls along with the sentiment of accepting and embracing who we are. The higher pitched vocals backed with harmonies in the latter part are a joy to behold. There`s a more melancholic sense about `Working On Your Own` which has a shuffling rhythmic drumbeat, cello splashes, and keys that sound like something from a music box intermittently shared throughout.
The album closes with `Better Than Today` which is a quite mesmerising trippy offering. I felt it took you on a hypnotic meandering almost dreamlike voyage that put me in mind off-beat bands like dEUS and Gomez.
I loved the concept of `Positive Songs` and how it developed from discussions with singer-songwriter Lobelia Lawson to fruition. The songs all have a positive message and although the lyrics at times are a little difficult to interpret, to me that allowed you to read what you wanted into them. The tracks themselves are quite Introspective but thought provoking and optimistic.
I look forward to discovering what Granfalloon or Richard Lomax comes up with next.
Rating 8.5 /10
