One of my most uncomfortable night’s sleep to date was spent on the floor of a dinghy student house in Southampton, lying on a sofa bed that had certainly seen better days. I was only there a matter of hours until my train back up to London and in that short space of time I decided to sign a band to my fledging indie label. Waiting For Sirens were, in my ears, a UK take on The Get Up Kids. They wrote catchy pop-rock hooks under pinned by a few clever keyboard lines. Like most bands at that level they had limited success, changed their name, and eventually faded away. I suppose we couldn’t expect much more though. I’m recalling this story here, in this very review, as it was my first encounter with Tom George.
In hindsight I really signed Waiting For Sirens that night because of Tom. His naïve excitement about his band was infectious and his earlier performance was by far the highlight of my evening. In the years that have passed since then Tom has grown into one of the most accomplished, yet hugely underrated, singer song writers in the UK. ‘Symptoms’, released under his The Lion and The Wolf moniker, is a fitting tribute to Tom’s talent, hard-work, and blind faith in his music.
So, personal stories aside, how does this debut album stack up? First and foremost it’s refreshing to hear someone really craft their own sound here. Tom’s haunting vocals and mellow guitar lines are a more mature approach than we’re used to hearing from front man turned solo artists. Acoustic music in this scene is often pushed with gusto and big vocal melodies, which we certainly aren’t against, whereas this is more subtle and patient throughout. It’s that patience that is particularly effective in ‘Hand Of Applause’. Here the temptation to rush through the memorable chorus and over produce the track must have been hard to resist. Instead it starts slow, arguably drops in tempo as we hit that first chorus, before eventually picking up pace into the bridge and final chorus. It’s far more rewarding as a result.
Moments of sublime beauty spread across this album and no more so than in its title track ‘Symptoms’. With heavy hints to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in its vocal delivery, Tom delivers a truly life affirming acoustic pop track here. The same can be said for ‘The Lion And The Wolf’ towards the back of the album too. It’s elegant, simple, and incredibly effective.
There are times here though where the album does dwell for a little too long and cries out for a change of pace. This normally isn’t an issue with Tom’s live show as his charisma shines through and gives the interludes that much needed energy. Tom also takes takes a moment to tell the tales behind each track, which certainly adds more depth to tracks such as ‘The Hole That It Leaves’ and ‘Ghosts on Trinity’. Whilst these are taken from his personal experiences they tackle universal issues such as love, loss, and home sickness. As such I can’t stress enough the need to either experience this for yourself or to read the accompanying track by track Tom has provided online.
‘Symptoms’ is an accomplished album from one of the most underrated singer songwriters in the UK today. It’s poignant, mature, and the perfect soundtrack for the long winter ahead.
TOM BECK