Tumbler

Originally a quartet, this have-a-go trio of tightknit musicians – Dave Needham and brothers Harry And Richard Grace - formed into a serious band two years ago. Things became heavy quickly as they developed from what they describe as ‘weekend kitchen concerts into something more’. In fact, things moved so quickly that they began making this, their second album, Come To The Edge, before they had even completed their first album, You Said. Now a brother light following the departure of Jim Grace, somewhat ironically, to get serious with a family of his own in Manchester, Tumbler have continued their quest of musical self-discovery. With the evolution of the group comes the evolution of the music and the introduction of big wattages that suggests the small-scale giggers crave a larger arena.

There’s a clear difference between the two albums. What was once entirely free-spirited now flashes thigh at the mainstream; what was once undoubtedly bucolic now has a grittier intensity; what was once playful and quaint is now a very serious work of poetic storytelling and enriched sound design; what once timidly plodded along, now struts confidently forward.

Tumbler have covered You Said’s nakedness in some fancy, modern gear: electronic swells, grains and stabs; breathy backdrops and aerated vocals that are compatible with lingering themes of freedom, letting go and all of the other psychotropic material espoused on this 12-song free verse-style outing.

The opener, Black Sheep, is both folksy and bluesy, breaking from the confines of the acoustic rarefication that the band are known for by exciting your ears with distortions and waves of wonderful synthesis.

Then what ensues is a toggling trade-off between “old” and new. Don’t Take Much returns to Tumbler’s trademark flair, puckishness and simplicity. Then the following track, Falling, detracts from the beaten path into vigorous alt rock territory peppered with lovesick musings and references to falling that include mentions of clouds, skies, transatlantic aeroplanes and pterodactyls…naturally. And then Nothing To Hold You and Sweetest Thing take us back to whimsical Tumbler; and then Week gives us welcome diversity again. And on and on it goes in that arrangement.

It’s clear that the band are still figuring out the sound that they most enjoy performing as well as discovering one that will appeal to more impartial audiences than their parents and siblings. Come To The Edge took on the audible manifestation of that duality. Subsequently, it seemingly meshes their wants with their needs to form quite an eloquent compromise. Despite this album progressing as the first was, you’d truly believe that there was a temporal gap between the two – a gap that involved experiences that have influenced the growth of Tumbler’s music. It’s a testament to the creativity, ingenuity and bravery that there wasn’t but they were still able to deliver a record that’s more enterprising and fresher than their original album.