Sits somewhere between 70s blues rock and early 80s pop rock.

Himora is a Norwegian group with their eyes fixed firmly on the past, eschewing modern trends and settling for a vibe that sits somewhere between 70s blues rock and early 80s pop rock. Although the band have a history between them, this is the first release under the Himora brand, but there’s nothing world changing happening here.

Although the album gets off to a storming start with the bluesy, funky ‘Just Can’t Stop‘, it doesn’t reach the same heights again. The track sets things up to be a rollicking Black Crowes/Glyder/The Answer type romp, but the foot is taken off the gas. This is not to say that “Argue All You Want” is a bad album, because it’s not. Their Bad Company meets Cheap Trick schtick is quite effective, and they swap blues licks and melodic sensibilities rather well, aided by a bit of harmonica on the swaggering ‘Birmingham‘. The singing is good, although the press release doesn’t tell me who is in the band so it could be Morten Harket for all I know. Probably not, though!

This album is just one of those that I enjoy listening to, but will have trouble finding an excuse to revisit in the future. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with Himora, no rubbish songs or bad performances, just a bad press release. So if you want a bit of blues with a strong melodic feel and a sprinkling of funk you might well enjoy Himora. Me, I like all those things, but I know I can get them all a little bit better elsewhere, and sometimes that little bit can mean a whole lot.

Alan Holloway