they got a lyric wrong, but it happens.
Tim Larson "No Weapons, No Allies" (Independent 2007)



The good and the bad

Some artists grab the listeners attention by putting in 5 minute guitar solo's that blow your ears off, some decide to fill the song with a plethora of instruments, hiding the song in a depth of noise. And some decide to let their voice and lyrics do the talking. Tim Larson seem like this sort of artist, yet the trouble with this route is that if your lyrics aren't perfect, then you will easily be caught out.

The best example of this is the 2nd song on the album, 'U.S. 1'. Listening to the chorus repeatedly will drive you crazy; "Your two lane highways better than my eight lane back home" sings Tim, to my dismay. There are a few other tracks like this, yet there also some gems in the album. 'Border Radio' is one, the haunting slide guitar in the background adding depth to the song, while the lyrics just seem so much better – "I wish I had bought a radio…. to hear someone else's tales of woe instead of my own". On the last track of the album, 'Hard Road (Tim Larson vs. The Black Beauties)' acoustic guitar is swapped for electric, and the result is a fantastic rock n roll song (we even get a guitar solo!).

So 'No Weapons, No Allies' is hit and miss. Sometimes brilliant, sometimes dull, and just sometimes surprising.



Date review added: Monday, December 10, 2007
Reviewer: Aled Roberts
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link: Artist myspace page