The Dawn Chorus
'The Big Adventure'
Press Reviews

Whisperin' & Hollerin' - 9/10

The Big Adventure is the debut album from UK indie-folk 5-piece The Dawn Chorus. Their EP (reviewed here earlier this year) showed a band of great talent, so the arrival of this full-length effort was awaited with great anticipation. It is a pleasure to report that the short wait has been well rewarded.

The album opens with the excellent diptych “The Big Adventure”. Part one is essentially a folky, acoustic number, though the sound is enhanced by the use generous use of piano and strings. It also benefits from clever lyrics. Part two is driven by soft “marching” drums and trumpet, which build to an electric guitar-driven but still folksy ending. The suitably laid-back vocals complete a tremendous opening salvo of tracks.

Track 3 “The Hope Will Kill Us” is a (relatively) rockier affair with a slight whiff of “Hammer Horror” organ about it, confirming The Dawn Chorus have something a bit special about their approach and sound.

“Come On Home” follows and it is a jaunty, folk-influenced pop song, the trumpet/brass making it eminently suitable for the current festival season.

Track 5 “I Can Be Anything” has the most 60s pop (the Kinks) sound, while “She’s Like An Angel” has an almost “swing-band” introduction before moving into Weezer-with-brass territory.

“The River Song” introduces a female-male vocal into the mix, with rich, string-laden verses which, build towards an anthemic “if we try” crescendo. This is followed by “Summer of ’99” which being straight-forward guitar-driven indie is the least folk/country sounding song, but it fits right in due to it being thoroughly melodic and hummable.

Track 9 “Fractured City” is a return to the breezy, countrified sound, and again incorporated effective use of trumpet/brass to give the song more layers.

“Not having Fun” has a rich sound, whose title is a bit of a misnomer in that it sounds like the band jolly well are having fun.

Track 11 “Song For Antoinette” could/should be the “hit” single, due to its tremendous chorus if nothing else. Actually, it is a song of three halves, all of them good!! It starts as jaunty pop, changes to a quieter more reflective song, then ends with an anthemic male/female vocal. There is a certain epic quality to it all.

The final song “Blast From The Past” pushes the idea of a song with different “movements” even further, highlighting just how many ideas the band have. It begins with a sparse, acoustic guitar and strings introduction, moves on to an almost Mariachi-style brass number, then morphs into guitar-driven pop, before another brief Mariachi section finally evolves into drum-heavy indie. It is a fitting ending to a truly beautiful album.

The bands that might have influenced The Dawn Chorus are clear – Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Kinks among others – but they are far from being copyists. The songs are catchy, accessible and downright likeable. At the same time, they avoid being twee due to the meaningful often clever, occasionally humorous lyrics.

This could very well be my new favourite thing. Buy it.

Rock Sound - 8/10

A heartfelt and intensely tuneful marriage between folk and indie, The Dawn Chorus write charming mini-anthems that will undoubtedly propel them to alt-stardom. Sounding like Wilco barn-dancing with a latter-day Supergrass. 'The Big Adventure' is a country-pop classic waiting to happen. 8/10

Planet Sound - 9/10

Former PS demo faves come good on a country-rock record that's wonderful because it evokes their native Hants as much as wide-open Americana.

Everything from Goldrush and Hobotalk to Bright Eyes and Wilco flits among the Evans brothers' movingly optimistic vocals, unafraid to be as big and bold as they can make them.

It's about full lives and finding the intimate music arrangements to match. Utterly gorgeous. 9/10

www.subba-cultcha.com - 3.5/5

A sterling cross between many different folk and acoustic acts.

The Big Adventure is the debut release from Plymouth based Dawn Chorus and it certainly is a promising and diverse one. The first three songs have three genres and some very different comparisons; going from Bright Eyes like folk (only less whiney) to something reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel in the way that brass is used and ending up in song number three ‘The Hope Will Kill Us’ with an energetic almost punk-like song. The quintet that is Dawn Chorus deserve a round of applause for moving from one styling to the other so coherently.

The Big Adventure is a very enjoyable offering from the five south dwelling lads. The story telling is compelling and kept lively with well structured and usually upbeat songs, with interesting and quirky lyrics. This is definitely deserving of several listens after the first one.

The Mag - 9/10

Musically rich and lyrically stunning, The Big Adventure is the greatest record ever from The Dawn Chorus. There are twelve songs present and every single one bristles with hooks and every single one has the epic feel of a grand American record, even though it actually comes out of Hampshire, UK.

The two part 'The Big Adventure' is a wonderful opening, sitting just before the a-grade single 'The Hope Will Kill Us' and 'Come on Home' completes the strongest possible opening four from just about any album ever. Other highlights are the emotive 'River Song' the folky 'Fractured City' and the sparkling 'Not Having Fun'.

The Dawn Chorus even have the confidence to stick the brilliant and bouncy 'Blast From The Present' right at the end of the record in the slot that would have fallen to the record-ending shoe-gazer from any normal band.

If they were from Leeds, they'd be the darlings of Radio One for sure, but coming from Hampshire, they'll have to settle for being ours instead.

Drownedinsound.com - 9/10

Opening an album with the title track isn’t something most bands like to do, but with the Big Adventure, it’s the perfect way to introduce Portsmouth’s The Dawn Chorus. With it’s Bright Eyes-esque folksy vibe and sunny disposition the track (or at least the first part of it) ease the listener into this young five piece’s sound, just to throw a curveball when track two, The Big Adventure Part Two kicks in sounding like the first track remixed by Marius De Vries (Rufus Wainwright producer known for his ‘orchestral’ production)… clearly this band have ambitions beyond folksy rock.

The album trundles on, like the soundtrack to a lazy summer Sunday, the bands eternally bright outlook and upbeat melodies reminiscent of The Old 97s, certainly no bad thing. These lads are certainly more intelligent than the average band vying for that £10 note in your pocket that you’ve earmarked for a new CD!

That they’ve titled a song Marie Antoinette is enough of an indicator, but continually articulate lyrics which capture life in Portsmouth, and especially on it’s music scene, perfectly, especially in Fractured City’s “I don’t mind playing empty clubs, or bleeding my heart out to football thugs/but I do have a problem when this city screams that you can’t get out/you can never escape me!”.

If this is the starting point, then it looks like this band really are on a big adventure!

9/10

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