Heavy going strong

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WHEN The Heavy released their first album, the brilliant Great Vengeance And Furious Fire, in 2007, a lot of people took them lightly.
But with their second effort, The House That Dirt Built, the group's grubby funk rock demands attention.
The funk element is retained, while singer Kelvin Swaby has added grit to his soulful vocals.
And musically, the band have been augmented by a dearth of choice samples - such as the brilliant rejigging of Screamin' Jay Hawkins on single Sixteen - which add a variety they lacked, while their beats have been beefed up.
For example stand-out track Short Change Hero sounds like Curtis Mayfield jamming with Gnarls Barkley on the set of a spaghetti western.
On this form, there's a weighty argument that The Heavy have crafted one of the albums of the year.