22-20s – Shake/Shiver/Moan

Having originally broken up in 2006 with one self-titled album under their belts, Lincolnshire band 22-20s initially went out of their way to avoid generating hype for their first new record in six years. After playing a “one-off” reunion gig at the request of their label Heavenly Records in 2008, the band denied any possibility of reforming permanently but before long they were touring quietly with new material under a pseudonym.

That pseudonym was Bitter Pills, also the title of the second track on the new album that has eventually emerged, Shake/Shiver/Moan. That song’s woozy, bluesy intro (“bitter pills and alcohol / sorry if I made a scene”) is one of a number of signals that 22-20s retain the influence from old bluesmen which was a key hallmark of their origins and of their early material. Whilst some rock outfits of the past have aspired to remove the blues element from their records, 22-20s slot neatly among those who seek to re-install and cherish it. Nevertheless, this mission never compromises the record’s status as an out-and-out rock record, and a fairly solid one at that. The trouble is that Shake/Shiver/Moan often sounds just a little too conventional and uninspiring, failing to elevate itself above any number of other worthy rock discs and lacking in memorable moments.

22-20s know their craft; without fail they sound like experienced and capable musicians, as comfortable with the upbeat, resonant riff of “Talk to Me” as they are with the more introspective penultimate track “Let it Go”. The latter song, however, exposes a few lyrical traits which some may find to be a turn-off – at times, songs like this can veer to being just in sight of the weepy moral supremacism of Keane’s worse love songs. 22-20s are probably at their best on this album’s title track, which marries Martin Trimble’s warm vocals with a loping, colourful riff. Better still is the song’s thrilling instrumental climax. It’s the most memorable moment on an album which too often settles for adequacy when its creators sound capable of a shot at greatness – maybe they’ll have another chance yet.