Maverick Thinker
Chrysalis, 2021
9/10
Although the English trio William The Conqueror probably get lumped under the indie-rock umbrella, there’s a whole lot more to their riff heavy and hook friendly formula that touches on the early days of alt-rock, as well as blues and even grunge, too.
The album opens with the warm guitar of “Move On”, that quickly builds into a loud, crunchy alt-rocker that’s guided by smooth singing, and “The Deep End” follows with a soulful groove running under the bluesy display of playful, melodic song craft.
As we approach the middle, “Jesus Died A Young Man” shuffles with an Americana friendly energy you could dance to, while “Quiet Life” is indeed gentle, as female vocals add to the beauty amid piano and soft guitar work. “Fiction”, a truly outstanding track, then moves swiftly with a charged rhythm section that approaches stadium rock status.
The album exits on “Reasons” and “Maverick Thinker”, where the former is a scrappy and thumping indie-rocker meet roots rocker, and the latter displays bare and eloquent songwriting that’s folk influenced and even welcomes accordion into its poetic spirit.
This is the 3rd LP from William The Conqueror, which is Ruarri Joseph, Harry Harding and Naomi Holmes, and if you’re like me you haven’t heard the first 2 records, but won’t waste anytime seeking them out. A listen that can be intimate enough to soundtrack a campfire, just as it can stack layers of fuzz around blues, southern and gritty rock, I see Maverick Thinker being one of the highlights of 2021.
Travels well with: Built To Spill- Keep It Like A Secret; The Felice Brothers- Undress