Gringo Star - Count Yer Lucky Stars Album Review

By Rhys Milsom / April 25, 2012

rating: 3

Website: www.gringostar.net Facebook: www.facebook.com/gringostarmusic Release date: 30th April, 2012 With a name like Gringo Star, it€™s hard not to laugh. But that€™s exactly what happened when their debut full-length All Y€™All sprang up a few years back from the sunbaked lawns and beer-drenched nights of Atlanta. To be precise, and I hate using that phrase so make the most of it, it was 2008 when that album first appeared and, to be precise, it was 2008 when the name didn€™t seem so funny anymore. The leering smiles were at first replaced by contentious grins, which then grew into bonafide beams of joy once the minutes passed by on All Y€™All €“ the energy and positivity of the band€™s sound travelling through the soundwaves and seeping into the skin: turning the crooked mouths into smiles as bright and as feel-good as the hooks of the guitars. Instead of the more naïve, or just plain stupid amongst us thinking that the band were a piss-take, a parody, of the great Ringo Starr, they soon realised that this group of four lads could actually play. A sound as polished as Michael Stipe€™s head, as catchy as man flu and as upbeat as your gran playing bingo was the reason why people started to take notice and why the band gained momentum, rather than the band€™s name. And, as with every good band, what difference does a name make, anyway? Insert ridiculously named bands that are hugely successful here. Now, four years on from their debut, you€™ll find the band are back with a new album. Since 2008, the band have toured and played gigs relentlessly €“ taking their sound to ears everywhere and at the same time, breeding and grooming their sound to a more mature, broader level that definitely shows the foursome have grown up while the years have gone by. Yep, the stupidly catchy harmonies are still there, and yep, the band still sound as if they€™re having the time of their lives €“ but instead of sounding as if they€™re rushing off for a beer or for a smoke (as they did tend to do sometimes on their debut) they now sound as if they€™ve got time for all of us and will take us with them for that beer or that smoke; making for a much more widespread-sounding record. It plunges you in instantly and possesses the ability to be listened to in-depth and also to be listened to as you go about your day, making it a really accessible record that you can have on while you€™re sharing a glass of red with the missus, pretending not to listen to the album, and instead listening to her. When, let€™s face it, it€™d be vice-versa. If I had a missus, it would be, anyway. Let€™s hope, when she comes along, she doesn€™t read this. First track, Shadow, has a riff that at first brought to mind the best moments of Costello Music (The Fratellis €“ remember them?) but that thought soon disappears when the vocals come in. They€™re almost drawled, as if the whole process of creating this track has tired the band out. This, though, only adds to the laid-back, nonchalant feel the band carried with their debut and it gives the listener the first hint that things may not be too different €“ apart from the matured overall sound that is. The matured feel passes through in the form of the music itself €“ the riffs and the drums €“ as it lingers and sits itself right where it wants to without caring what anyone else thinks/says, taking its time to get through the whole track. It doesn€™t feel as if the band have felt the need to rush a thing about this track, and that€™s its main strength. As I said earlier, on their debut, some things sounded rushed, but on this album, they€™ve cleared that up and want to know they€™re a songwriting band as well as a catchy, fun one. This track shows us that. http://youtu.be/b5BS29t5wmU Beatnik Angel Georgie is a likeable, catchy track that sways from a one-man-and-his-guitar track to a full-band track in its own right. As the shortest track on the album (1.57) it has a sense of real fun and without a doubt, it€™s going to be a favourite at live gigs. The beer will be sloshing everywhere once this track starts. Esmeralda is almost balled-esque. It€™s tinged with anguish and a feeling of loss; the violin that seeps in creates a deep, foreboding atmosphere and the gently strummed guitar adds a touch of loneliness while the drums patter away in the background, like the footsteps of a jilted lover on a long, dark night. The lyrics make the track even stronger, and the line of €˜come and see there is no use explaining€™ sums up the track perfectly: there€™s no use explaining the feeling of this track unless you€™ve felt as sorrowful as the track portrays, and all of us have been there at least once so when you listen to this track you€™ll know exactly what feelings will spring out. It€™s possibly the strongest track on offer. The final track, Mexican Coma, is a breezy, light ending and it carries on in the gloriously catchy vein of previous tracks. What does set this track apart, though, is the well-crafted solo. We don€™t hear much in the way of solos on this album, and yeah I know it€™s more of a pop album than anything, but as Gringo Star do incorporate some elements of rock and indie it€™s gratifying to hear a solo that not only impresses, but adds to the track and the whole album as well. The track has a sense of €˜straightness€™ to it, though, all the way through. Straightness in the sense that as an ending it€™s a straightforward choice, and it€™d have been more satisfying to hear something bolder. Even though the album does show the band taking a step forward, being left with a track which would have watered into the next album would have been a really wise move. But, the band don€™t do that. Mexican Coma is a track that ends the album there and then, unlike Black Night which ended their debut. http://youtu.be/MpH5cYm_zC0 Even though this is a an album that shows the band have dedicated a lot of time to it, and shows them growing up, some tracks do seep into others and you may find your attention wandering a little. There are really impressive aspects such as Shadow and Esmerelda but other tracks such as Got It and You Want It fail to set the band apart. However, because of the strength of some tracks, the faults are overshadowed and Gringo Stars€™ next release is sure to show the band at a different, escalated level again.