Tom Williams & The Boat - Too Slow

In any band that takes the name of its principle member, a certain precedent is set that rarely manifests itself in other collaborative projects. That principle member immediately becomes the focus of any attention from media or fans – it takes a certain kind of perennially interesting confidence (or arrogance) to denote yourself as the foremost member of a group – and they are scrutinised for their presumably important contribution. The rest of the band on the other hand are immediately relegated to the background, removing much of the pressure, but also much of the interest they may have garnered otherwise.

So, as you might expect, Tom Williams, rather than The Boat, is the emotional and artistic centre of every track on ‘Too Slow’ – a constant deciding factor on the mood, tone and tune of every song. The focus falls heavily on his vocals, always pushed high up in the production and which make the lyrics a major player throughout. Drifting from descriptions of small-town ennui (‘Concentrate’), through ‘See My Evil’s dark suburban vignettes and into the whimsical surreality of ‘Wouldn’t Women Be Sweet’s tale of a more than odd relationship, Williams never stays on one level of storytelling for too long, equally showcasing skills for social commentary and imaginative description. Of course, with any concentration on lyrics, the weaker efforts will stand out, with the clumsy qualification that ‘it’s a ring road around London, the M25’ in ‘Train Station Car Park’ an example, but, by the same token those moments of pure lyrical prowess are just as accentuated.

With quite so much of the interest lying in Williams’ contributions then, it could be easy to write off The Boat’s five members’ input as simply filler, something to bolster an otherwise sparse sound. In fact, it’s the rest of the band’s work that makes this album what it is – a set of stories set to perfectly appropriate soundtracks. ‘Get Older’ would have none of its menace if it weren’t for the diving, gypsy-folk violin that dominates the chorus, nor would ‘Too Slow’ have the same triumphant emotional impact without the slow-burning crescendo of every instrument available into a burst of folk-pop joy. This is not to say Williams can’t hold a tune on his own - the quietly-plucked acoustic ode to love of ‘Denmark’ proves that much - but the rest of the band never let a song escape without a wonderfully appropriate backing.

It becomes clear then that the separation of Tom Williams from The Boat is not a promotion of one member over the others, but a demonstration that the two halves of the name represent the two functions of the band – directive, lyrical talent alongside prudent, thoughtful instrumentation. What we’re left with is an album of modern tales indebted to the world’s best song-poets – Bob Dylan, Nick Cave et al – set to music not dictated by genre or convention but by the needs of each set of lyrics. By turns joyous, destitute and righteously angry, ‘Too Slow’ is a statement of intent by a man and a band who, united, can make beautiful stories into beautiful songs.