Reflections In The Glass

Graham Day and Billy Childish are the Twin Titans of Medway Garage Rock in the U.K., and they share a similar love of tough, unapologetically backward-looking rock & roll rooted in the sounds of the mid-60s. Their musical worldview overlaps enough that Day has worked with Childish on several occasions, with the former joining the latter in his bands the Buff Medways and the Musicians of the British Empire. However, while Childish prizes grit and rough textures, Day aims for a more professional product, making records that hit hard but boast a full-bodied, well-detailed sound that suggests a classic Who or Rolling Stones session from 1965. This makes Days work more approachable on the surface, but a single spin of 2023s Reflections in the Glass, Days third album with his group the Gaolers, confirms he knows how to make a first-class rock & roll record, filled with rock-solid R&B-influenced tunes, grand buzzing guitars, a swinging rhythm section, and occasional interjections from a tastefully applied Hammond B-3 organ. Working with bassist Jonny Barker (a frequent Day collaborator) and drummer Dan Elektro (a member of American garage mavens the Woggles), the Gaolers first album since 2008s Triple Distilled has enough energy and focus that its hard to believe the frontman was almost 60 years old when this was recorded. His vocals on "Different Rules" and "A Rose Thorn (Sticking in Your Minds Eye)" have a bite that matches the report of his guitar, he sounds thoughtful and authoritative on "Mystery Man" and "Filtered Face," and he makes himself sound like the sort of bad influence you cant help following on "I Will Let You Down." If Day is the star of this show, Barker and Elektro are the best sort of supporting players, powering these performances with muscle and an unerring backbeat, as well as throwing in vocal harmonies that give the melodies a welcome lift. If you think they dont make British rock like they used to, you havent heard Reflections in the Glass, which makes Graham Day & the Gaolers sound like they could have been playing the Marquee Club alongside the Who, the Yardbirds, or the Move and giving the crowd just as much to cheer for. ~ Mark Deming