And Those Who Were Seen Dancing

And Those Who Were Seen Dancing - Tess Parks

Released: 2022

Label: Fuzz Club

When I bought: 2023

Ok, I'm going to declare my interest very early with this one.

Tess Parks is a really good friend of my wife, so objectivity will probably go out the window. She's a really lovely person - warm, generous of spirit, engaging and thoughtful. And Tess isn't bad either.

Tess is Canadian born, but after moving to London she was signed by one of Alan McGee's post-Creation labels, before ending up on Fuzz Club (along with seemingly millions of other amazing artists).

I first met Tess at an in-store gig in the Notting Hill branch of Rough Trade, and she definitely has a loyal following - the place was rammed.

'And Those Who Were Seen Dancing' is her second solo album. Her first, 'Blood Hot' came out in 2013, and then she made two albums with the mercurial Anton Newcombe from The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

You can see why those two were a natural fit for a collaboration. Tess's music plays in the psychedelic genre, with introspective lyrics and a thick sound.

Tess is also a massive Oasis fan, and you can hear the influence of the Gallaghers on the edges of her music - the chord changes, the little guitar licks that pop up, some of the harmonising. It doesn't smack you in the face and scream Burnage, but there's definitely a vibe in there. In fact it reminds me of some of the more interesting stuff on Be Here Now, such as the title track and 'Fade In-Out'.

Tess's voice is memorable. Gravely and laconic, it conjures up a world-weariness which puts paid to any notion that she doesn't really feel the things she is singing about.

'We Are The Music Makers And We Are The Dreamers' sounds like the kind of tune Noel Gallagher would love to write if he had the guts, while 'Brexit At Tiffany's' feels like an Allen Ginsberg poem delivered over a jam by The Doors.

Like all of the album, 'Old Life' shows great production choices. The restrained percussion sits in place perfectly where it would have been easy to smash out something on a full kit.

'Do You Pray?' sees Tess let her hair down on a sort of trippy reimagining of 'Oh When The Saints Go Marching In'.

This isn't an album I would usually buy. It's not really my genre but but but I do really like the record. The production is great, the songs have real meaning, and you get the sense that Tess is pushing herself.

I can't really give it a rating (as she's a friend so I wouldn't be objective) except to say: buy it. It's really great and Tess is ace.

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