![]() We look in the mirror and we only see a dark past, one we want to forget. ‘Ghost’ is my favourite, this could easily be a David Gray song. ‘Loneliness’ is a sad acoustic number, sung at the top of his vocal range. Another story of immigration, and a revelation that even hope can be a facade: “I bought the last ticket, and found out it was fake.” Where to from here? So, this is a recalibration of his life, laid out and dressed in the staunch treatment of 60’s Brit pop. You can’t help noticing the nod to McCartney’s trademark descending basslines, which sound just like they’ve been lifted straight of one of the fab-four’s popular platters.In fact, with the ‘Doo Doo’ chorus and Allen’s slightly husky, working class accent you can almost imagine Sir Paul himself playing this one. While the album as a whole may be quite ‘poppy’, the single ‘Won’t Let You Win’ has a real fight song attitude about it. It’s a revelation, of sorts – Allen was recently diagnosed with adult ADHD. He bookends this, literally, with clear references to his own Northern Soul and a potential return to Blighty – should it all go end up – in the last chorus of ‘Get Out Clause’. This is an album that grew on me pretty quickly, being packed with evidence of life experiences – from the poignant, sweet but aching account of the loss of a lover: ‘Joan Don’t Go’ to the spikey, anxious feeling of displacement he creates on ‘Different Shore’. It’s about maturing and the shedding of self-confidence, admitting we aren’t bulletproof, and a loss of youthful swagger. ![]() ![]() His music reminds us of Oasis, Blur, David Gray and other troubadours of that period. I’m told from the liner notes that ‘it’s an album title that notes an easing up on the wild life, putting one’s larrikin ways to bed, growing up.’ And it’s a bit of a nod back to a time when it was ok to be a ‘bit of a lad’. Given our recent #MeToo environment you would have thought it was best to to avoid any reference to the despicable ‘lad culture’ of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s… but Allen can’t ignore his Brit pop roots or his earlier misdemeanours, made in the name of the cause. Originally from Lancashire, now based in Auckland, moonlighting carpenter Tim Allen (not the ‘Tool Man’) is a diamond in the rough. He loves a bit of irony, shown in the title of his sophomore album ‘Last Bastion Of A Lad’ – just released last week. ![]()
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