Bobby Lee
Endless Skyways
Tompkins Square
23 June 2023
For Sheffield-born Bobby Lee’s third studio album and second for Tompkins Square, he has reverted to the full band set-up of his debut after playing all of the instruments on 2021’s Origin Myths. A song that might handily illustrate the difference between Myths and Endless Skyways is Impregnated by Drops of Rainbow, a stark and skeletal two-minute piece on the former that is revisited here and given a makeover that sees it clock up an extra five minutes of song time. The new guise brings in bassist Mark Armstrong, who cuts a deep groove with smooth notes that drummer Ian McCutcheon matches with solid, unwavering playing. Alongside this mesmerising section, Lee’s questing guitar slowly reaches further and is joined by Joe Harvey-Whyte’s glistening pedal steel. The original tune is still there, but this confident, exploratory new design sums up the flavour of Endless Skyways.
A probing sense of playing is present here, as it was on Origin Myths, and again illustrates Lee’s interest in blending the spirit of country music with more esoteric genres, like psychedelia or noise. And the songs themselves seem happy to take their time reaching full germination, a shift from Origin Myths, which clocked in at barely over twenty minutes (Endless Skyways’ nine songs span forty-two minutes). Indeed, Reds for a Blue Planet, a song sounding immediately like a late-night psychedelic version of William Tyler’s Eventual Surrender from Goes West, has a cool, off-hand vibe, with meandering and reverb-heavy guitar joined by drums and casual percussion. Gnostic Loners has a similar loose spirit, but the mood is more early morning than witching hour, with light reverb and space allowing a bright and questioning guitar part to thrive.
Elsewhere, the far more tongue-in-cheek and naughtier HR Manager’s Beautiful Daughter uses the bridge pickup of the guitar to create a snappy quack, a sound that is joined halfway through by a cracking second guitar line that almost hits Primus territory. This song is fun all the way, which contrasts nicely with more serious pieces like the lengthy Thunder Travelling to Loftier Mountain Heights, which comes in at well over eight minutes. Possibly my pick of the set, this one sees Bobby step back slightly to allow space for Guy Whittaker’s considered piano, plus low Fender Rhodes and background reverb. The drums here also miss notes to create the space and subtlety that underpin the song and turn it into a rich, complex tapestry and deep listening experience. A huge step forward from Bobby Lee, Endless Skyways is a bold, dramatic and sensitive collaboration between the guitarist and his intuitive band. An exciting and fascinating piece of work.
Pre-Order Endless Skyways via Bandcamp
Album Launch Show
Sunday, 25th June – Tesla Studios, Sheffield – Tickets & Details