You Am I ProfileLet's be clear: Tim Rogers is not going to write you Berlin Chair again. But let the musical and lyrical nods and winks of this band that now can just enjoy being wash over you a few times, and you'll likely find the satisfaction you crave.
Conversely, Porridge And Hotsauce might be the most 'You Am I-sounding' album of their last few. The previous self-titled, and moreso the reflective moments of Dilettantes sometimes sounded like Rogers solo songs - as played by the band. Not necessarily a bad thing, but here in One Drink At A Time's louche swing or the '70s chop of Buzz The Boss — as Rogers' and Davey Lane's guitars bump into and across each other — you'll remember the scruffy swagger that made you love them in the first place.
Other voices are allowed cameos, but no-one can deliver a bittersweet bon mot like Beehive's "As romantic as the first time I see you cry..." like Timmy in full wilted-flowers-on-the-doorstep mode, or as a sentimental organ note underpins the stumbling brass of Two Hands' "...All that's left from the plans I made".
Ten albums in, You Am I will take your Good Advices, but then drop the clutch and take off in the direction they choose, over the bedrock of Andy Kent's bass and Rusty Hopkinson's simply fucking joyous drumming. Sure, keep loving getting lost in your Hourly Daily reissues - but know that You Am I have still got the goods.
