Romeo 660 by Ian Cantwell and Marty Snape
Album on Bandcamp
Album review by Tommy Calderbank
This album is something veeeery special indeed.
Almost 10 years in the making, ‘Romeo 660’ may have had a longer gestation period than 5 elephants, but I’m happy to report it was definitely worth the wait. These tunes have been lovingly crafted, reworked, distilled and refined till the whole thing shines like a shimmering avant-garde pop masterpiece. Canti was always a brilliant songwriter, and this collection proves that beyond doubt.
With their roots in the legendary Liverpool underground band ZEB, Canti and Marty have delivered us all an absolute classic in ‘Romeo 660’. Hearing it on headphones helps to appreciate the amazing sonic flourishes that both men bring to this epic co-production.
And so, to the facts. Shamanic personnel on duty here, all present and correct, are:
Ian Cantwell (Vocals, guitar, keys)
Marty Snape (Guitars, Bass, Drums, Keys, Programming)
Martin Smith (Flugelhorn, Trumpet)
Matthew Philips (Cello, Strings)
Mark Jones (Vocals)
Sharlene Squire (Vocals)
Dylan Donnelly (Vocals)
Meticulously engineered and mastered by Marty, ’Romeo 660’ is comprised of 10 tracks, and is 49 minutes long. The cover is by Canti himself, ‘Otterspool Promenade’, and has a look of the Ziggy Stardust cover; an abstract wash of colours, blue, orange and yellow, like a smudged neon quayside, viewed from the water. This makes sense, as migration and water are themes throughout the album, as demonstrated on the opening track, a quietly furious lament called ‘The Ullaloo’. It’s a storming opener: driving, melodic and deeply emotional. Its mysterious title refers to the Irish custom of keening, or lamenting over the dead – specifically, during The Great Hunger of 1845-1852. This is an event he takes personally, and here, he’s channelling his ancestors’ direct experience, and they will not be silenced: “you’re in my blood and you will have your say”. Hearing Canti’s superb vocal after so long reminds you of how singular his voice is – and how missed he’s been – as he sings of “the bittersweet, the bittersweet Ullaloo”. His voice oooo -ooooo’s its way to the swirling, devastating chorus, with its choppy strings and haunting lyric:
“Bye, bye Ireland
My fate now lies across the water
Why, why in my time
To lose a million sons and daughters?”
With lines like “Now I find my feet on the bitter streets of Liverpool”, this song reveals itself as a cultural artefact from that city-defining diaspora. Other titles, such as ‘I Drive Along A Street Called Hope’ and ‘The Ballad of Sefton Park’ place this firmly as a Liverpool album. The city is a character that interweaves throughout, like some flamboyant, dissolute extra in the background of a spy movie. Makes me think this whole album could be the soundtrack to a film that hasn’t yet been made…note to any screenwriters reading this…and tell you what, this tune would sound amazing performed at The Philharmonic Hall with full choir and orchestra. Listen and tell me I’m wrong.
‘Amaryllis’ opens with a cacophonous urban ambience vibe, in a David Holmes’ ‘Let’s Get Killed’ style, and soon shows itself to be the pure essence of Canti; his singing has a texture to it that’s unmistakably his. Here, his empathic voice sings of the world’s inequality, over lovely skittering drum patterns, driving bass and soaring guitar.
‘I Drive Along A Street Called Hope’ is masterful in conjuring a moody, elegiac atmosphere. Like the Sunday morning after a particularly hard Saturday night shift. The stellar production throughout this album shines on this track, with its layers of gorgeous, lolloping stings, voice and claps. Amongst the city’s broken-hearted grime, like Wim Wenders’ ‘Wings of Desire’, he spots signs of the divine:
“There are angels on the rooftops
Feel their breath upon your face”
This song provides one of the many moments of beauty and transcendence on the album. Canti and Marty are always stretching for the ineffable, those moments where you can see they’re reaching for something beyond the material world.
‘We Don’t Grow Old’ is another great tune, a killer bassline complemented by fantastic drumming. Canti’s voice is layered on this one and the electronics beneath it drive the whole thing beautifully. Canti’s always had a poet’s soul, on show in lines like:
The setting of the sun
Another me dies
I never saw the fire
For the smoke in my eyes
‘The Ballad of Sefton Park’ is a lush, laid-back change of gear and pace, something that happens a lot on this album; so many styles handled with aplomb. It has a shimmering sun-tinged vibe, which should be prescribed on the NHS as a cure for the Winter blues. This track, like others on the album, could be longer, but I like that none of these tunes outstay their welcome – they’re all perfectly formed.
‘Fearful Symmetry’ has a real delicate tension, again, very filmic. The tiger tiger burns brightly in this languid sounding tale of boys and girls and how they are to live.
‘Shinbashira’ is just tremendous, a deeply melodic song that builds with washes of synths and angelic vocals, dramatically hurtling to the chorus. I love the way the space ebbs and flows in this track. And the lyrics are exceptional. For example:
“When those wicked winds of change take a bite out of you
Never hide your wounds
It’s where the light gets into you
And birds sing where no birds flew”
‘Still Life’ is a riff-soaked rocker, and could easily become a radio standard; I mean no disrespect by that at all, just that as with many of the songs on this album its got real commercial appeal, with its stomping beat, and a dirty, dirty riff you can feel in your loins, mate, your LOINS! Such classic pop, it’s even got the la la la’s going on in full effect. Superb brass from the ever brilliant Martin Smith, incidentally. It ALSO namechecks Reginald Perrin, and that can never be a bad thing.
The penultimate track ‘Deus Ex Machina’ offers more atmospheric moodiness before bursting into proggy life. It also allows itself the space to meander, going to some interesting places. With its references to the sea, water, tears, fish and swimming, the currents of this track are bouying us to the climax. The backwards loops and effects at the end are like listening on a beach at the End of Time.
‘Solstice Campfire’ is a beautiful, atmospheric, elevating conclusion. and ear-tickling in its frequencies. A superb end to a superb album.
Overall, I reckon Canti and Marty have made an absolute classic here; it’s got depth, substance, meaning, resonance, and flow. The way mood is played with and switched throughout is brilliant. All the contributors play beautifully. It feels like a coherent whole, an actual album and not just a random collection of tunes. This cake is fully baked, music lovers. It also bears repeated listening, a real sign of quality.
So, what are you waiting for? Go fall in love with Romeo 660.
https://iancantwell.bandcamp.com/album/romeo-660-2