The Four Storeys

Betting on Now by Oxford's Four Storeys may or may not be part of a burgeoning U.K./U.S. canyon rock movement (depending on your definition, this early 2000-era subgenre sometimes includes groups like Beachwood Sparks and the Tyde from Los Angeles, along with efforts by London-based bands like Delta, Mojave 3, and January), but however you want to categorize this effort, the Four Storeys' debut is definitely one of the more captivating releases of rustic/cosmic Americana to come out. Nick Kenny's tales of unrequited or spurned love, despair, and heavy boozing with a tender touch are like long-lost recordings from Neil Young's early-'70s oeuvre, but some here also have an emotional directness and a bit of a darker indie rock undertone that recall Felt or others from the early-'80s. The gentle sway of the country-rock "Still Waiting" is an effortless country canter, one of the finest moments here, while "Castaway" (originally released as part of the Shifty Disco "singles club") is simply breathtaking, a delicate ballad with a harmonica solo straight out of Dylan/Neil Young. The melancholic "Fall Out" sounds a bit like Young's warm but frail ballads (cf. "Southern Man"), while "So Down on Me" crashes down like his blistering guitar workouts ("Cortez the Killer"). A untitled hidden bonus track (possibly called "Dig You a New Hole") appears five minutes after the last track. ~ Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide