Introducing a musical project as eclectic, chaotic and colourful as its artwork – Campfire Sigh confront modern life and all of its quirks, with a series of imagery-heavy stories and sentiments, for Different Peninsulas.
What a World We Live In is the opener and offers all of this, a circus-esque progression with a memorable hook resolving lines and lists of reflections on the state of today. Flight Of The Anchovies makes for a quirky little redirection during the final moments, before the big-band instrumental Junebugs / Tin Whistle Theme takes us through cinematic details and horn sections a-plenty. Early on, we appreciate the musicianship, the live potential of Campfire Sigh.
Rarely does this album conjure up comparisons, instead it takes subtle influences and then recrafts or bends them before your very ears – not gifting enough time to label the experience, before another twist in the fabric of design pours through.
In example, perhaps the introduction to Whispers From the Dream has a nostalgic purity about it, but the sudden topical or political insinuation distracts from this, and before you know it – we’re in an uplifting realm of lyrical darkness and rising anticipation. A fascinating song worth more than a single listen.
If it was a hint of The Beatles you might have heard, or even The Doors, it returns briefly during the likes of Jagged – before a raspier, passionate vocal and strong groove take us through a more intimate and poetic offering; one that softens the weight of the album as a whole.
Dollar Store Hippies is a defiant highlight, catchy and outspoken, fearlessly observant, stylishly produced – a little Beach Boys with a twist of Fatboy Slim or Massive Attack to the overhaul; all, of course, with a seemingly purposeful lyrical depth.
Rotting Away has that sixties energy again, strangely familiar but not, and Nothing We Can Do masterfully captures the essence of contrast once more, for its desperation and colour intertwined with an almighty stomp of a track.
Heartbreak and poetic contemplation join forces for the haunting and unexpectedly intimate Beach Of Teeth, complete with a rising weight and electric guitar-line that increase its power throughout. As ever, creativity is an obligation for the band – not merely a suggestion.
Lucid Snowglobe follows with sublime vocals and beach-side guitar vibes, then later the sudden softness and medieval acoustic warmth of Headless Grasshopper lightens the intensity but lyrically explores a captivating new story; another stomp of a track that runs through the mind indefinitely after listening.
Whether metaphor or literal storytelling from memory, it’s sometimes unclear – the band cleverly walk the line between comical and coarse, always keeping you on your toes. It seems eccentricity alone was the drive for the most part, but there’s undoubtedly plenty of gold hidden within those hills.
Counterfeit Mystic is another infectious highlight, and the soulful guitar brightness of We Arn’t Captured (We’re Gone) follows beautifully with its marching rhythm and slow yet gripping story.
Great writing, all in all – original and often employing equal parts relevance and shock factor to keep you hooked. This whole album is musically wonderful, and consistently interesting. It’s not so much the background material to your commute, though it works just fine as that – it’s the sort of thing that when you tune in a little more closely, you realise the possible implications of much of the content. The provocative gift that keeps on giving. Well worth a listen.
Grab the album via Bandcamp. Check out Campfire Sigh on Facebook, Instagram & their Website.
