cover-art CKCaptain Kennedy – a now-defunct six piece from the North – recorded ‘Draw It In Chalk’ live in a single night back in 2011. The record now serves as the band’s full stop, having disbanded earlier this year; vocalist Ciaran Lavery since releasing a very impressive covers EP.

Opener Passenger Hill leads in with bright chords played from fuzzed guitars. The down-tempo Black Eyes plods along slowly,  hints of Pablo Nutini-esque crooning, and even in this subdued mode the guitars are distorted, though still to wonderful effect.

Throughout, Lavery’s vocals play brilliantly over the distorted guitar riffs, defining the band’s sonic style firmly between these two elements. This works well for the most part, for both the ballads and the more upbeat numbers, though at times it highlights itself as the band’s stylistic limit.

Paper Cuts builds its rhythm steadily and breaks into a one-two punch before drawing back again and is kept pushing along by a staccato snare. Howling‘s first half is also driven forth by a staccato snare rhythm, though here it is less punchy and more repetitive, but gives way to a serviceable instrumental interlude. The Finer Things has a wonderful vocal melody and is perfect sing-along summer music; the album’s peak by any measure.

There are a handful of tracks on here that are woefully middle-of-the-road rock. The title track floats by without much notice and Burning On‘s tip-tap hi-hats and mournful lead line are the only notable elements from an otherwise forgettable listen. Elsewhere, there are songs that open promisingly before veering off. The most obvious example of this is Doomed, which begins with a wonderful, burlesque-night-time strut, but falls apart at the chorus, reaching for an emotional peak that doesn’t quite deliver and leaves the listener wanting for further expansion on the raunchier sounds of the verse.

The full live-band recording can be heard throughout and adds to the warm feel of the record; a joyous, fuzzy-folk album with plenty to offer, though in playing to its strengths it can come off at times as playing it safe. The band’s demise is unfortunate but probably necessary, and may well prove fortuitous for us all if Lavery’s recent EP is anything to go by. Captain Kennedy found their distinct sonic template and pushed it as far as it would g, and, though there is filler on here, it is a solid record, a fitting final document, and well worth a listen.