What more could be said about Liam Evans that the mainstream press hasn’t said already. He’s the only man ever to be cancelled for being too cool, and he has yet to beat the handsome allegations. But, nevertheless, I’m happy to say more about him and his band, a Lesser Version.
You may have already heard that album three is on the way. Excited? Me too. But here’s a bit of insider info for you: Album two is out now. The album is called She Was Wounded, I Was Terrified! So many questions. Even my own thesis on the meaning of this album title will take many years to unpack, let alone the title itself.
Who is the mysterious ‘she’? Why was Liam Evans ‘terrified’? a Lesser Version will actually be playing at the Quarry Birthday all-dayer, so please, ask him then. For now, let’s discuss the important stuff: Album three. No, sorry, the music.
The album opens with Opportunity, which honestly has been out for a while now as a single and I have seen live loads of times. I must’ve heard it a million times, I never get sick of it though, once again, proving how handsome Liam is. It’s followed by the first of the newer songs, Oxy, genuinely one of their most infectious songs to date.
It’s a testament to the quality of the singles that Oxy wasn’t released earlier. The quality of every track is surprising, even for a fan that knows that Liam used to play for Liverpool as a teenager. The first three tracks, Oxy, Skipping Thoughts and Near The Carousel all could’ve easily been singles, and is an epic trilogy of tracks early on in the record.
Near The Carousel is particularly unique. It has a quality about it that makes it feel like a very singular aLV track, my sole issue with it being that the riff in the last 30 seconds of the track is so good it frustrates me that it ends so early.
Elsewhere on the record are previous singles For Years Upon Years Upon Years… and Dead (Or Dying). Truly they have stood the test of time. I’ve seen them play about 10 times since those songs came out and they always make me want to kick the shit out of somebody. Awesome stuff, gang.
I Knew Better Then and Almshouse are the most touching songs on the record. Almshouse particularly is an epic closer that sets up whatever they next have installed for us perfectly. In fact, the legendary album three now has a single out for it as well, Bend. Another live favourite that has now received a true release that shows the band taking the sound even further. Maybe Liam is right. Maybe album three will be the greatest record of all time.
Other highlights are Overwhelmed, Indifferent and Forever (that’s the other two tracks on the album I haven’t mentioned yet). Realistically it’s an album full of highlights. It’s a short record, clocking in at 27 minutes, but there’s absolutely zero filler. They’ve trimmed the fat right off and left us with one of the best records of the year.
Listen to it. If you like it, come to the Quarry Birthday all-dayer and see them kick-ass live. If you have any questions about the mysterious album title, please, ask Aidan Shard on the bar what he thinks it means. If he doesn’t reply, that’s because he’s been instructed not to, otherwise he’ll have his pay docked into the minus’, and he’ll have to start paying to work at Quarry.
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