Staff Reviews

Ultimate Painting - Green Lanes

Review by Dan Lucas

Fuck it, it’s good»

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'Green Lanes' is the second album from London-based band Ultimate Painting. Formed as a loose collaboration by Jack Cooper (Mazes) and James Hoare (Veronica Falls) the project quickly turned into a full-fledged band in 2014 with the release of their self titled debut album on Trouble In Mind. New album 'Green Lanes' is focused and cohesive, the result of two voices becoming one and each member's songs complimenting the other, carving out a distinct and unified voice as Ultimate Painting. Slinking out of the gate, the first song 'Kodiak' is an hummable future-classic with Cooper and Hoare's guitars dancing around each other with ease. The licks and lyrics conjuring up images of Sixties California and Seventies New York; a picture of dark clouds on a sunny day. The rest of the album follows suit with the airy, lush harmonies of 'Sweet Chris' and 'Two From The Vault' and even kicks up some dust with the chooglin' '(I've Got The) Sanctioned Blues' and the manic 'Woken By Noises'. While their self titled debut was all Cooper and Hoare, this time out, they are augmented by the addition of their live drummer Neil Robinson who provides propulsion on all but one of 'Green Lanes"s tracks. The album artwork was once again provided by Portland artist Bradley Kerl, who portrayed Hoare's London flat and recording space chock full of the equipment used to record both the band's albums casually tumbling toward the viewer. For fans of Velvet Underground, Feelies, Parquet Courts, Television, The Kinks, Pavement and The Bats.
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