Opening Time For The Battered is the latest album by David Palfreyman, who over the decades has been involved with Nicholas Pegg and supplied music for Borrowed Time: Lennon's Last Decade. He's also worked with Emily Capell among others. In his film work he has also been involved in some of the Dr Who restorations. David's band on this album are Chris Musto, Martyn Baker, David Clayton, Greg Hart, Ben Miles, Gary Barnacle and Rodger Hanna. The album was engineered and mixed by Ian Caple and Jim Lowe.
The album opens with An Artists Tale of struggle and strife working to have a career in art without losing everything you hold dear, this has a gentle indie folk feel for how you find the right space and time for your artistry.
Before I See You he dreams, that your lips still taste like wine and the things that bound you together, he's not sure he wants to hear what you have to say, before you come home once more, this feels like a relationshipwreck being explored, to the sound of sophisticated indie pop with brass accentuating the pain and distress you've been going through.
Greatest Day is something that for many of us seems to be somewhere in the deep distant past, David is looking for a revolution from within to help the piano lead him to his next Greatest Day.
Highway View has a lush feel like you are cruising the highway in an old Jag or similar, looking for a way back, while paying heed to what happened on that crazy river, what happened out of view and how you come back from it, the widescreen feel of the expanses around you.
Life Begins At 60 is a concept I can get on board with, let's not lose our fire for going out and having a good time, to keeping busy and to celebrating our heroes, this is all about remaining passionate throughout your life.
Locked Door Key has some cool strings while asking questions of the crooks who seem to be in charge of everything, this is in late period Blow Monkeys territory, while the lyrics will slowly reveal more with a few listens, the backing vocals are very easy to join in with.
Overtime Hours seem to loom large in many people's worlds, but the solution to overwork is not to replace everything with more technology, including Auto tune and AI, this slowly explores a variety of issues and the anger caused by modern living.
Why's It Taken Us So Long to realise that we need to seize the day or life will go by in a flash, it's time to hold on tight to the ones you love to this plaintive song of hopefulness. You Said It So is gentle strings urging you to be the one you want to be.
The album closes with Your Days My Days that has a jazzy edge to the reflections on the great days you've had and shared them with you along the way, these are the good memories of living life well, the longueurs you hoped to avoid, David asks if he has indeed had a good life and got laid at the right times.
Find Out More at https://davidpalfreyman.bandcamp.com/album/opening-time-for-the-battered https://www.facebook.com/david.palfreyman.14
