REVIEW - Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps - 'That's What Winston Churchill Said' (EP - MTS Records)
Finnish singer-songwriter Tom Tikka has been plying his trade now for a number of years in bands such as Carmen Gray, The Impersonators and Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps. His latest offering with The Missing Hubcaps, 'That's What Winston Churchill Said' is made up of three newly written tracks and three older songs taken from his stash of never released tunes and is another superb release of expertly written songs and fine musicianship.
Opener 'Turn Back The Time' is tremendous with soaring choruses backed by strings and bells, with a dash of melancholia which those of us who are fond of the likes of Teenage Fanclub will enjoy very much. This leads into 'All She Wants Is You', another superlative track with its 60s Kinksian riffs and driving guitars and keyboards, and a more tuneful depiction of romantic disappointment you'll not find. And written when Tom was 16! 'Mary' is a complete change of pace - slow, stately and reflective - while single 'Jaded Mind' is another of those tracks with a soaring chorus containing perfect vocal harmonies and great guitar fills.
Next up is 'That's What Winston Churchill Said' - a slightly more experimental track that begins and ends with excerpts from the man himself and in between has great wah-wah guitar work, more reflective lyrics and a brooding edgy ambience. As title tracks go, it's pretty damn good and Matthew Sweet fans in particular would lap this up. The EP finishes with a jaunty, fun-filled acoustic blues track, 'A Good Thing Going On' and ends another great release from the prolific singer-songwriter and power-pop exponent who should be way more better known than he currently is.
'That's What Winston Churchill Said' is available on all the major digital sites.
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