Witness
Under A Sun

Distributed by
Island

Year: 2001

Rating: 8/10

Cat. No: CID 8107

It seems only a short while ago that Wigan's Witness were being hailed as one of the leading lights of "Stool Rock", a rather dubious term for a collective of like-minded bands and artists (Sunhouse, The Unbelievable Truth etc) who had turned their back on electricity in favour of all things acoustic - so that people would "listen". Unfortunately nobody did. Despite having at the time all the right hip credentials (The Verve's Nick McCabe was an early champion) it seemed very much like Witness were a great idea which had just happened to come along at the wrong time.

Now of course things are different. At a time when almost everyone and their uncle has been seen to embrace the New Acoustic Movement - Alfie, Kings of Convenience, Turin Brakes etc - Witness have decided, however, to go against the flow by seeking their muse away from their immediate environment, turning instead to the broader canvas that is Americana and in, the process, they have rediscovered the value a little bit of noise can bring to the equation.

This is no bad thing. In fact it is a very good thing indeed as "Under A Sun" bears out. Their sophomore album is a major step up from their tentative debut. Whereas before, Witness produced simple but affecting stories of lost love and longing over stark, stripped down arrangements, the new look band have a much fuller sound, mixing beautiful sun-dappled melodies with plangent, soaring guitars like a Lancastrian version of current alt-country champions, The Jayhawks, particular on such stand-out classics as "You Are All My Own Invention" and "Till The Morning".

Witness are not the first British band to mine such a rich seam - Grand Drive and Peter Bruntnell to name but two have been able to bring a new localised twist to the a/c formula over the past few years - but very few have been able to do it with such panache. "Dividing Line" takes the early REM blueprint and twists it in into something unique and original. "Closing Up" is a wistful and elegant elegy that recalls the legendary Miracle Legion whilst at the same time stamping its own authority and more importantly its own identity.

Closing track, "Pushchair" is a classic in the making and is, somewhere in an alternative universe, already Number One with the proverbial bullet.

In a world, however, of UK Garage, Eminem and Atomic Kitten, Witness may not (yet) provide the official soundtrack to the summer but if you are prepared to delve a little deeper and open your heart a little wider you will find much to admire and even more to love in this unassuming but deeply affecting album.

Review copyright © Gary Thorogood, 2001.