By Jim Rowland
Billy Mahonie, the former John Peel favourites who formed in the first wave of British post-rock alongside the likes of Mogwai in the late ’90s, are set to return this week with their first new album with their original line-up in nearly quarter of a century in the shape of ‘Field Of Heads’ on their own Whistling Sam Projects label.
First forming in London back in 1997, Billy Mahonie’s original line-up of Gavin Baker (guitar), Howard Monk (drums), Hywell Dinsdale (bass and guitar) and Kevin Penney (bass) have reunited periodically over the years, but ‘Field Of Heads’, recorded over two long weekends either side of the Covid lockdowns, is the first time they have committed new music to tape in almost 25 years.
Billy Mahonie deal in all-instrumental soundscapes built on a basic guitar/bass/drums set up. The likes of the mid-paced opener ‘Atomic Clock’ and the faster and very bouncy ‘Kaiju’ build from subtle and intricate to heavier and intense, as does the rock-flavoured ‘Spy Guy’. The softer ‘The More I Know’ and the catchy and more up-tempo ‘Impossible Sky’ have an almost funky/jazzy feel to them, ‘Hearts Vs Minds’ has a more laid back, mellow approach with intricate guitar work, and the impressive ‘Tributer’ is laced with more intricate and catchy guitar hooks throughout.
Best of the bunch for me is the lengthy album closer ‘Dry Season’, with the rock solid rhythm underpinning good interplay between Spanish guitar, bass, harmonica and a touch of piano.
Progressive and experimental, and often subtle and intricate, ‘Field Of Heads’ is not as heavy and intense as many of the recordings that fall under the ‘post-rock’ bracket, but makes for good listening to fans of that genre.
- ‘Field Of Heads’ is released on Friday (24 May).
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