Monday, 18 July 2011

SOMETHING OLD: 'Come Back Brighter' - Reef

From an album which most remember the undeniable ‘Place Your Hands’, came second single ‘Come Back Brighter’ – a stomping anthem laden with a dirty riff and the kind of heavy drums any ‘air drummer’ can envision playing at ‘their’ Wembley.
What may at first come across as a potentially angry and vengeful track with its harsh pounding production, in fact within the very first line of lead singer Gary Stringer’s instantly recognisable growl, becomes a positive preach to the stubborn rock converted.
A chorus easy to pick up and shout til you’re hoarse, his attitude and mocking towards whatever brought him down in the later chorus’ displays a gradual growth in confidence over the relentlessly enjoyable 3 minutes and 33 seconds.
I read somewhere Gary wrote this as he lay bed-ridden with a football injury. If that’s the case, he took on the pain and frustration, won, and this is his victory song. And a damn fine one at that.
From the album ‘Glow’ (1996) / @stringerbessant

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