The Onset

For years, Liverpool's the Onset played the clubs and toured the continent, piling up glowing reviews but never inking a deal — thus, the group left behind little more than fond memories. What a waste! But now this egregious situation has finally been redressed with the release of the Onset's self-titled album, gathering up a dozen previously unreleased recordings from 1989-1994. The quartet, led by ex-La's Mike Badger, is augmented as needed by a variety of Liverpudlian musicians (including fellow La Paul Hemmings), who bring organ, harmonica, steel guitar, violin, banjo, and mandolin to the party, enhancing the set's rich atmospheres and solidifying the stylings into vivid tapestries of sound. But what initially strikes the listener is the epic quality of the tracks, and not in the usual grandiose sense of that word. With most clocking in at around three minutes, the songs immediately transport one to a parallel universe, where multiple musical vistas merge into glowing aural landscapes, lit by the shining pop and jangly guitars of yesteryear and pumped up by more uptempo Britbeat-laced R&B. Both are the soul of the Onset's sound, but the band also slips into bluesier territory, shifts into folksier fields, and revels in knees-up country jigs. Badger is the master of this sleight of hand, conjuring up a shimmering musical world that harks back to Britain's past, while sounding thoroughly fresh. But for all the incredibly bewitching sounds, it's the songs' strong melodies that linger, along with the intimate atmospheres the Onset create. There's not a weak track nor a less than brilliant jewel to be found within this set. The Onset at their grandest, and an album that will leave listeners desperate for more.