Author of "The Birth And Impact Of Britpop: Mis-Shapes, Scenesters And Insatiable Ones"
Then the King went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him
(Daniel 6: 18, New King James Version)
The story of Daniel in the lion’s den is one of faith – the belief in things not seen but hoped for.
When the king thrust Daniel into the den, he did so because his advisors, who were upset at the favour the king showed to Daniel, had tricked him into passing a decree that no man could offer up an appeal to any God, only to the king himself.
Daniel would not betray his own faith, and so found himself confronted with a pack of lions.
Spoiler alert – God shuts the mouths of the lions, Daniel is spared, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Hooray.
Here comes a latter-day Daniel.
HIs faith in the power of music, of the healing nature of the song, and of the ability of the two things, when crafted with a pure heart, to create something beautiful.
Surrounded by corporations, by AI generated “music”, by teams of “professional” songwriters, and by an “indie” scene that is firmly in the grip of the worst excesses of lad culture, even though the nineties were a LONG time ago.
McGeever remains true to the faith.
“Spirals” is a hymn for the village.
The village of delicate souls who yearn for something soulful, hopeful, and beautiful.
There are echoes of some of the best moments of bands I have no interest in – to my mind The Beatles only ever wrote one truly great song, “Here Comes the Sun” - and it is those melodic, sincere, sweet and tender moments that ring across the album.
A song like “Having Words with God” is the sort of thing that would be number one in a world better than this one. A sort of anti-anthem, no need to turn it up to eleven, no need to plumb the depths of Gerry “Ned Sheeran” Cinnamon and his vulgar shout-along-a-boor fest awfulness, or even the stadium filling monsters of the sort that Oasis used to trade in. Instead, the listener is treated with a bit of care and respect - “Here” says McGeever “is a song that will fill your heart, lift your spirits, and plaster a smile as wide as the Clyde across your dolly eek.
There is a danger that something like “Spirals” could be lost, left undiscovered, and that would be a terrible thing. When an artist creates something with such obvious love, with so much care, with such purity of heart, it deserves to find a place in the lives of others.
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