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July Skies Album Reviews 4out of 5
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Where The Days Go

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It's been a relatively quiet time for July Skies' Anthony Harding since the praise received from the national press for 2004's 'The English Cold'; one of the most articulate and sensitive bodies of work to commemorate wartime periods. With an album of new material apparently just around the corner, 'Where The Days Go' is a nostalgic look back at Harding's consistently nostalgia-centred music; taking in radio sessions, live tracks, remixes and B-sides.

Followers of July Skies' early years will be familiar with early tracks like 'Coastal Stations' and 'Swallows And Swifts' but here they are just a couple of songs which are given added resonance by being recorded in the Parish of Berkswell; truly the ideal location for Harding's emotionally involving guitar work and that frail but appealing voice of his. Yet whilst those tracks stay within a remit of a melancholic tune, the later recordings experiment with the trademark sound. Much of this is down to Epic45; another band always keen to diversify but however interesting the likes of 'August Country Fires' and 'Waiting To Land' are, these instrumentals fail to move the listener as much as those filigree guitar patterns. Such patterns resurface on two tracks inspired by an exhibition of Labybird illustrator Harry Wingfield and the second track from this session, 'The Map That Came To Life', is an absolute lost treasure, perfectly capturing Harding's gift of setting childlike awe to music. In conclusion, even if it is merely a round-up of unreleased material, 'Where The Days Go' should keep July Skies fans more than happy until the next chapter in the story begins.

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  Track Listing
01 Coastal Stations
02 Swallows And Swifts
03 Countryside Of 1939
04 Learning With Mother
05 The Softest Kisses
06 The Days We Played
07 Southern Orchards
08 Childhood Illustrator
Standout Track The Map That Came To Life
10 Berkswell
11 It's Late In The Day For Love
12 Wiltshire Days And Skies
13 August Country Fires (Epic45 Reworking)
14 RAF Saxa Vord
15 Autumn Fires
16 Waiting To Land (Epic45 Reworking)
17 Air To Ground At Manorbier
18 You Take Me Through The Day
19 Coastal Stations (Live At The ICA, 02.02.02)

Standout Track = Standout Track

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Weblink:
http://www.julyskies.com/
http://www.makeminemusic.co.uk/
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Also Recommended:
Epic45 - Reckless Engineers, Slides, Against The Pull Of Autumn, May Your Heart Be The Map
July Skies - Dreaming Of Spires, The English Cold
Junkboy - Lost Parade
Various Artists - Flow
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