I’m not like most people when it comes to Boss Keloid. I was immediately drawn into their antiquated, urban, escapist world with Herb Your Enthusiasm (2016) which filled the room with smoke and mad ideas. But I still think (which is where I believe I differ) that Melted on the Inch (2018) is not only the best record they have written, but is up there on lists of my favourite records ever. Yes, their last record (Family The Smiling Thrush) was stupidly good – but didn’t quite hit that something I found in their previous release.
So now they are back, and their sixth album flies freely. ‘Float and Aperture’ has an alluring, almost National Geographic, cover and sees Boss Keloid push themselves even further into more complex progressive territories. The hallmarks of what makes them so special, and unique, are still there – the arrangements of guitarist Paul Swarbrick, the distinctive rasping gravel of vocalist Alex Hurst, and the jazz-infused drum patterns of Ste Arands – but there is something more on ‘Float & Aperture’ this time.
Let’s start with the reasons that I think makes Boss Keloid appeal to me – where other progressive bands may not. They come from Wigan which is hardly synonymous with the album cover, or prog, and their music has always been somehow filled with the paradox of escape against the backdrop of being well and truly stuck in urban sprawl. This is rainy windows and shiny grey roofs, viewed by an individual with Mesopotamian artwork all over their walls. This is intelligently written music by someone whose hand is guided by both their circumstance and their deliberations.
The thing that makes the difference (I think) on ‘Float & Aperture’ is the bass playing of Liam Pendlebury-Green. He may have been the last bastion clinging onto more of a sludge feel until now. On this record, he has pulled out his progressive plectrum (if he plays with one) and delivered a devastatingly effective, groove-filled and engrossing lower register. Add to this, the theatrical vocal abilities of Alex Hurst that, for the first time, begin to emulate the genius of Mike Patton in some of his more experimental projects, and it’s clear why I think this new record hits the heights of the aforementioned ‘Melted on the Inch’.
My favourite track is Landslide – but to be honest there isn’t a weak second on the record. If you haven’t listed to Boss Keloid, then I suggest you go back and start at the beginning like everyone else – and we’ll catch up when you’ve had your brain elastified. ‘Float & Aperture’ is the near perfect sixth step from a band who learnt to walk with ease.
Best Paired With: Finding a big win on the scratch cards, empty open pubs and having a well thumbed Sylvia Plath book under your bed.
Reviewed by Jaff.
Boss Keloid – Float & Aperture is out now on Church Road Records.
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