Clarkesville
Spinning (Wildstar Records) 26/01/04

The cool, calm and collective Michael Clarke and his merry band that makes up ‘Clarkesville’ have been pleasing people who don’t even know who he is, or that he is from the epicentre of independent music that is Walsall. Every Sunday as the nation sits down to its roast and stuffing, while peeled to the Sky Sports Sunday football round up, thinking “ I don’t care that Exeter city lost 6-1, this music is so soothing”. That, my friends, is the instrumental to ‘Secret File’ taken from the Brummie

band’s debut album ‘Evergreen’. Having toured with the likes of Polyphonic Spree, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow it is easy to come to the conclusion that Michael and his merry men are going places.

‘Spinning’ is one of the most upbeat offerings featuring pelting drum beats and tingling guitars, with the coup de grace being Michael’s uplifting and soothing Ian McCulloch style vocals. The topic of splitting up and how it leaves you feeling is given the compelling Clarkesville treatment;

“It seems so strange to see you here like this,
we wonder how your world has been spinning without me?”

At the tender age of 23 the maturity and togetherness of Michael that is borne out in this track is very refreshing to see.

David Adair