Yet another artist returning after an all too long sojourn from the recording studio. Four years from Electric Fairyland, the Honey Thieves are back with four more tracks of Waterboys-influenced folk-rock.
The Honey Thieves have been kicking around in one form or another for about seven years now. They used to be called Shelter, until one too many complaints from fans of a certain US rock band persuaded them to change their name. US listeners may recognize a name or two from the Honey Thieves history too, as they have contributed a couple of ex-members to various Electrics recordings.
The sound bears strong links with the older material, but some changes in lineup and influences are clear. It's a slightly bigger rock sound that dominates the first two tracks. The folk influences, distilled through folks like Mike Scott, are still there but slightly hidden. The third track, "Tomorrow Might Not Be Like Yesterday" brings the Waterboys influence more to the fore with plenty of fiddle and mandolin, and the EP is topped off with a simple acoustic ballad.
Most of their contemporaries have slipped from view or moved on to pastures new, but the Honey Thieves' material is still sounding fresh and retains much of the energy. They've had to cut back on their live workload lately, but are still visible in their native Scotland and hope to hit the USA before too long. On the strength of this release, the show should be well worth seeing.
