The Holloways - So This Is Great Britain?

Genre rock Publisher TVT Records External Links Official The Holloways Website Official TVT Website

For Anglophiles, The Holloways have been on the radar for months. Songs such as "Generator" had been getting serious British radio time and the release of the album, So This Is Great Britain?, was very much looked forward to. While The Holloways are relative unknowns in the United States, the strength and fun of So This Is Great Britain? makes it likely that this won't remain the case for long.

It's easy to see why their song "Generator" raced its way up the U.K. charts. The song starts with a fun rock guitar riff that has just a hint of a Caribbean feel. The lyrics are simple and don't vary over the course of the song. However, the melody is so catchy and the harmonies between vocalists Alfie Jackson and Rob Skipper work so well that the simplicity of the lyrics isn't even an issue. The following track may be titled "Dancefloor" but there are definite elements of this track that will make listeners want to be out on the dance floor.

"Happiness and Penniless" is one of those songs that unless one pays close attention to the lyrics, it is easy to misunderstand the song. The melody is extremely upbeat and bouncy. Jackson and Skipper's harmonies, again, fit together well and have that perfect amount of rawness. However, a closer examination of the lyrics penned by Jackson prove that there's more behind the sunny demeanor of the band. Lines such as "But you can't find the money for your rent or repay the loans you're lent / you better turn to God cos you're up shit creak and you're sailing into hell," show a darker side to the band without being too heavy-handed.

So This Is Great Britain? is one of those rare albums in which the band clearly put significant effort into the creation process, but at the same time the music that resulted is so fun and unassuming that it's also obvious the band doesn't take everything too seriously. It's OK for The Holloways to have a little bit of fun with the record and, as a result, listeners will most likely have a lot of fun as well.