Gareth Barry's Black
Taken from the feature article in The Times.

It's been a year in the making, but Whitby have finally released their much anticipated third studio album. And boy, was it worth the wait. Some critics had suggested that, after two record-breaking albums of such magnitute, the wheels might have come off the Whitby train and that the engine had run out of steam. Perhaps this was only natural, though. Keatsian Whisp'rings and Silence As Acquiesence came only half a year apart, and for a whole year there was nothing on people's mouths other than Whitby.

But then they went very quiet. Indeed, it was only revealed  two weeks ago that their third offering was in production. In what was surely to be the first of a cavalcade of interviews and media attention, lead guitarist James Harmer shed some light on the media black-out over the past year. "We wanted to create something completely unaffected by other people's expectations. It was important to us, after two such successful albums, to create something that we'd still be proud to call our own."


Taken from a photoshoot of Whitby at Lords. (C) 2007


And so to the album in question. Gareth Barry's Black doesn't simply redefine Whitby, it redefines popular music. It's difficult to define emotion, but every track on this tour de force is positively saturated with it, from the pulsing rhythms of Alan Wilson's drums to every single heartfelt note that Brown's and Cooper's voices can muster. Tracks such as What's A Whale Doing In The Thames? strech the boundaries of progressive rock with lush soundscapes that Sigur Ros could only dream about.

But for those who admire Whitby for their contagious and melodic pop songs, there is still more than enough here to keep the endorphin levels pumping. Cooper's insistence for catchy piano hooks combines in unlikely synergy with Josh Ingold's foot-tapping bass lines, and tracks such as Song Billong (which is to be the first single) and Hide And Shag remain repeating in your head long after the CD has finished. And on that note, a brief mention for one of the stand-out tracks (though it seems as if every track could be labelled so), That Lawnmower's Got Headlights, which features Danish pop-group Alphabeat. This is a match made in heaven and I can honesty say that I expect this to break just about every record going.

Here is the track listing for the album:

1. Lads It's 2:30 (Better Go To The Dentist Then)
2. Song Billong
3. Hide And Shag
4. What's A Whale Doing In The Thames?
5. She's A Good Lay
6. Gareth Barry's Black
7. That Lawnmower's Got Headlights (ft. Alphabeat)
8. Facebook's A Product Of The Internet
9. Dick (We Can't Have A Song Called Dick)
10. My Lyrics Are Offensive (But You Might Try To Change This)
11. An Inspector Bores
12. I've Just Finished Reading 'Before I Left Uni'
...
57. And Arsenal Have 22 Minutes To Salvage Their Season

In an interview with band founders Tom Brown and Richard Cooper (to be published later next week), I asked them what they think best defines Whitby's success. "I think we're just lucky...we play music we want to play, and the public hears the music they want to hear," offers Cooper, gratious as ever. Brown thinks for a moment before answering with a poetry that infuses Whitby's music with their wistful and philosophical weight: "All we really want to do...is make one almighty roar that will echo in the dark."

Gareth Barry's Black will certainly be echoing in the dark for many months, if not years, to come.