46. CRAZY ON THE WEEKEND by Sunhouse

This is the most amazing record you’ve never heard, by a British band that was here and gone in a flash - other than a couple of EPs, this was their only long play, released in 1998. Bandleader Gavin Clark, shy and uncomfortable, never got over the fact that this record went nowhere, despite comparisons to Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley and others. Considered indie folk or folk rock, most of the album leans heavily on acoustic arrangements, though there are a few rockers in there. A close listen to the lyrics is warranted in order to truly appreciate the depth of this record. Additionally, I encourage you to read up on Clark who sadly died in 2015, age 46. In terms of the songs, I found this record following the crumbs dropped by the first two songs which I must have heard in a playlist some years ago. With ‘Hurricane’ you think it’s going to be a solo, acoustic track for the first minute and change and then, bam, the full band crashes in to flesh out the song fully. The first half of the album is nearly flawless in my mind, with ‘Lips’ being one of those ballads that works perfectly with the barest of accompaniment.