There are some albums in my collection that are timeless, purchased in one phase in my life but never removed from rotation. Others, like today's selection, remain forever linked to one point in time, conjuring memories of the age I was when I discovered it. Heavy In The Day by Canterbury is part of the fabric of 2012 for me; it's an album I listened to a lot at that point which slowly fell out of rotation as bands like them split up and I moved on. I saw Canterbury a total of 9 times between 2011 and 2013, first supporting The Blackout and then at their own tiny headline club shows. My memories of them are fond so I hope the album gives me that same fuzzy feeling.
A fade-in intro opens up to a mid-tempo number with lush vocal harmonies. Vocal duties in Canterbury were shared by the guitarist and bassist, Blink-182 style, so there are gorgeous moments throughout the album. Even as the title track this is an unlikely opener, all atmosphere and expanse like the clifftop landscape of the artwork - it's a sign that even though Canterbury spent most of their time supporting pop punk bands, there's more depth to their sound.
2. Something Better 🔵
A heavier, more raucous song kicks things off properly. I can feel the crush of bodies in the pit when I hear this, the pounding drums and gang vocals give it an urgency that feels like clinging to the barrier while fans push to the front. There's something about the hugeness of the chords and vocal sounds that is reminiscent of the Spector Wall of Sound production - I'm sure Canterbury were fans of that American 1960s sound and it shows here despite the genre differences.
A heavier, more raucous song kicks things off properly. I can feel the crush of bodies in the pit when I hear this, the pounding drums and gang vocals give it an urgency that feels like clinging to the barrier while fans push to the front. There's something about the hugeness of the chords and vocal sounds that is reminiscent of the Spector Wall of Sound production - I'm sure Canterbury were fans of that American 1960s sound and it shows here despite the genre differences.
3. More Than Know 🔵
There are 4 songs on Heavy In The Day that I knew prior to the album's release, via a mix of seeing them live in late 2011-early 2012 and pre-album single releases. These songs are all sequenced together on the album and this is the first of them. Again the sound is huge and it has great melodies and backing vocals working together. Canterbury were really talented and underrated constructors of songs which shows here and also in their previous album which I find especially interesting lyrically. More Than Know is short and sweet, a slightly aggressive little package with a tiny guitar solo just to prove that they could do that sort of thing if they wanted.
There are 4 songs on Heavy In The Day that I knew prior to the album's release, via a mix of seeing them live in late 2011-early 2012 and pre-album single releases. These songs are all sequenced together on the album and this is the first of them. Again the sound is huge and it has great melodies and backing vocals working together. Canterbury were really talented and underrated constructors of songs which shows here and also in their previous album which I find especially interesting lyrically. More Than Know is short and sweet, a slightly aggressive little package with a tiny guitar solo just to prove that they could do that sort of thing if they wanted.
4. Gloria 💜
Of all the songs on this album, Gloria is the song I remember most vividly from the band's live set; I looked forward to hearing it every time I saw them. A subdued verse opens to a massive gorgeous chorus that I remember the crowds singing back to them; it's a beautiful love song that would have sounded perfect in huge arenas if they'd gotten the chance to play there. I played this song a lot at the time and it has big sentimental value to me, which might be why I rate it higher than the rest of the album, but I think it still holds up to my adult ears too.
Of all the songs on this album, Gloria is the song I remember most vividly from the band's live set; I looked forward to hearing it every time I saw them. A subdued verse opens to a massive gorgeous chorus that I remember the crowds singing back to them; it's a beautiful love song that would have sounded perfect in huge arenas if they'd gotten the chance to play there. I played this song a lot at the time and it has big sentimental value to me, which might be why I rate it higher than the rest of the album, but I think it still holds up to my adult ears too.
5. Ready Yet? 🔵
One of the lyrical themes of Heavy In The Day is commentary on their lives as a band - making industry contacts, keeping up momentum, the task of writing an album, the boredom of hours and hours of travelling and hanging around... Ready Yet? illustrates that with lyrics about mistrust and having nothing to do, juxtaposing lyrics about waiting around with a short, fast-paced melody. It's effective not just as a hype song in a support band set but also in putting us into their shoes. Case in point, this album came out in summer 2012 but the video for Gloria, above, was released in early 2010, which shows how much struggle and work it was for them to fund and make this album.
6. Calm Down 🔵
This song opens with a super catchy bassline and then a really crisp clear vocal, made extra impactful by the absence of that wall of sound production. Again I have strong memories of live shows when I hear this; I want to be yelling the chorus in a packed venue. It has a long middle 8 section which kind of loses momentum for me but I can't deny the feeling of excitement and nostalgia I get from the big chorus.
This song opens with a super catchy bassline and then a really crisp clear vocal, made extra impactful by the absence of that wall of sound production. Again I have strong memories of live shows when I hear this; I want to be yelling the chorus in a packed venue. It has a long middle 8 section which kind of loses momentum for me but I can't deny the feeling of excitement and nostalgia I get from the big chorus.
7. Wrapped In Rainbows 🟢
The keyboard intro to this is another clue to their 60s influences - it's a little psychedelic, every-so-slightly Doorsy. Wrapped In Rainbows is another sweet love song, this time with a marching beat that opens into a big, heavy chorus. I think it would be more effective if it was one verse shorter but it's a nice song nonetheless.
The keyboard intro to this is another clue to their 60s influences - it's a little psychedelic, every-so-slightly Doorsy. Wrapped In Rainbows is another sweet love song, this time with a marching beat that opens into a big, heavy chorus. I think it would be more effective if it was one verse shorter but it's a nice song nonetheless.
8. She's A Flame 🔵
A proper ballad next, acoustic and soft-spoken. She's A Flame is another highlight of the album for me, I think it's really pretty and while they're good at the big rock songs, I like that they show off this side of themselves too. The chorus lyric is probably my favourite on the album: "where did you find me? Was I asleep? I was having that dream everything fell at my feet. You were there, you fell the same like you always do". A lot of their softer songs still bring in that big wave of sound at the choruses and in this case they hold out right up until the last chorus which makes for an effective contrast.
A proper ballad next, acoustic and soft-spoken. She's A Flame is another highlight of the album for me, I think it's really pretty and while they're good at the big rock songs, I like that they show off this side of themselves too. The chorus lyric is probably my favourite on the album: "where did you find me? Was I asleep? I was having that dream everything fell at my feet. You were there, you fell the same like you always do". A lot of their softer songs still bring in that big wave of sound at the choruses and in this case they hold out right up until the last chorus which makes for an effective contrast.
9. Saviour 🔵
The screech of feedback takes us in to a faster song. I think this was a single and deservedly so, it's the sort of thing I would have wanted to hear on Kerrang Radio. It returns to that struggling-artist lyrical theme with lines about 'losing pounds' and 'wasting the day', set to a groovy rhythm and great lead and backing vocals. We get a proper guitar solo this time to add to the angst but this would have worked equally well as a mainstream-radio pop song.
The screech of feedback takes us in to a faster song. I think this was a single and deservedly so, it's the sort of thing I would have wanted to hear on Kerrang Radio. It returns to that struggling-artist lyrical theme with lines about 'losing pounds' and 'wasting the day', set to a groovy rhythm and great lead and backing vocals. We get a proper guitar solo this time to add to the angst but this would have worked equally well as a mainstream-radio pop song.
10. Drive. Ride. Drive. 🔵
Drive. Ride. Drive. sounds like a whole heap of different My Chemical Romance songs rolled into one - it has the guitar sound and 'na na na' intro of something from Danger Days mixed with the pace of a song like Give 'Em Hell Kid, so it ought to have been huge at this point in time. There's so much energy here that if you were to drive to this, you'd be at risk of breaking the speed limit. I think the problem for Canterbury, which shouldn't be a problem, was that they could do fast-paced rock songs like this but they also wrote the sort of gorgeous ballads that were better suited to indie radio. In the decade or so since, we've been a lot more open to crossover in our music but 2012 was the tail-end of the era where rock kids liked rock music and pop kids were put off it - I wonder whether things would have been different for them if they'd just come along a couple of years later.
Drive. Ride. Drive. sounds like a whole heap of different My Chemical Romance songs rolled into one - it has the guitar sound and 'na na na' intro of something from Danger Days mixed with the pace of a song like Give 'Em Hell Kid, so it ought to have been huge at this point in time. There's so much energy here that if you were to drive to this, you'd be at risk of breaking the speed limit. I think the problem for Canterbury, which shouldn't be a problem, was that they could do fast-paced rock songs like this but they also wrote the sort of gorgeous ballads that were better suited to indie radio. In the decade or so since, we've been a lot more open to crossover in our music but 2012 was the tail-end of the era where rock kids liked rock music and pop kids were put off it - I wonder whether things would have been different for them if they'd just come along a couple of years later.
11. Garden Grows 🟢
I forgot about this song, which is a shame as the guitar part is so good! Again it has a retro vibe but applied to a modern rock context. I think the flaw here is that they do 2 verses before going into the chorus which makes it less memorable. When they finally let loose on the chorus proper, it sounds huge, but it's just a little bit too late. The song has a real end-of-album sound - it's expansive with one of those big messy outros where everyone is going all out (for too long). It closes with a riff that I wanted to recognise as a motif calling back to earlier in the album but I wasn't able to pinpoint what it was. Mostly the song makes me feel a bit sad that they didn't get to be more successful.
I forgot about this song, which is a shame as the guitar part is so good! Again it has a retro vibe but applied to a modern rock context. I think the flaw here is that they do 2 verses before going into the chorus which makes it less memorable. When they finally let loose on the chorus proper, it sounds huge, but it's just a little bit too late. The song has a real end-of-album sound - it's expansive with one of those big messy outros where everyone is going all out (for too long). It closes with a riff that I wanted to recognise as a motif calling back to earlier in the album but I wasn't able to pinpoint what it was. Mostly the song makes me feel a bit sad that they didn't get to be more successful.
12. Seen It All 🟢
Following that big end-of-album outro, the actual last track is slow and atmospheric with strings and soft harmonies. Mood-wise, it's not unlike a Radiohead song; it's floaty and restrained, returning to the mood that the title track hinted at which isn't really replicated anywhere in the middle. There's a big crescendo 3 minutes in which was a make or break moment for the song, and I think they just manage to get away with it although it leads into an instrumental part. The final chorus mixes ethereal vocals with that wall of sound production again which borders on shoegaze. Both Garden Grows and Seen It All are a bit of a change of pace from the short, sharp rock songs earlier in the album - I suspect that as they wrote it over a couple of years, their sound was developing faster than they were able to release music so there's a mix of new slower stuff and live favourites.
Following that big end-of-album outro, the actual last track is slow and atmospheric with strings and soft harmonies. Mood-wise, it's not unlike a Radiohead song; it's floaty and restrained, returning to the mood that the title track hinted at which isn't really replicated anywhere in the middle. There's a big crescendo 3 minutes in which was a make or break moment for the song, and I think they just manage to get away with it although it leads into an instrumental part. The final chorus mixes ethereal vocals with that wall of sound production again which borders on shoegaze. Both Garden Grows and Seen It All are a bit of a change of pace from the short, sharp rock songs earlier in the album - I suspect that as they wrote it over a couple of years, their sound was developing faster than they were able to release music so there's a mix of new slower stuff and live favourites.
Heavy In The Day is an album I hadn't sat down and played through for years but I definitely still think that it's a good collection of songs even if it's not perfect. I feel that Canterbury are the lost heroes of the early-2010s British rock scene - they had real songwriting prowess which should have brought them fame, but instead they're a time capsule, a footnote in the nostalgic recollections of emo teens of the time. They deserve better and I hope the members are doing well, wherever they are now.
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