Review:

on 2011-02-22 CharlesMartel Said:

This was pretty much the first album I bought from this new decade (actually I bought several at the same time). In that sense, this ought to be something of a beacon, a pathfinder for others to follow over the forthcoming ten years. Sadly, this album is not going to hold such a position. The reason is simple - this is not an album of the second decade of the new millennium but very firmly an album of the first decade.

When I first heard it, having downloaded a few tracks of the album to check it out, it seemed to push a number of the right buttons. It was solid, guitar driven indie rock with a some snappy tunes and reliable, if unspectacular instrumental and vocal performances. But in the end, that is all it is and frankly that is simply not enough. The problem is that there is nothing here to distinguish the band from the dozens of other indie outfits scattered around. And that is not going to give them many brownie points in my book. Like so many bands, they have started with the same, rather tired quiet-loud-quiet format and then failed to take it any further down the path than any of the countless other bands occupying the same musical niche market.

When I listen to this, I am instantly reminded of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metric, the Howling Bells and several other bands with predominantly female vocals. Laura-Mary Carter's voice has no distinguishing features. As a result, she sounds like everyone else in the field. When Steven Ansell takes over, the result is no different for, without being able to place it, his voice just sounds like something I have heard many times before. Voices apart, even the delivery sounds remarkably similar to vocal performances I have heard before, right down to the aah, ahh which seems to end far too many lines in far too many tracks.

In terms of the music, well that follows pretty much the same pattern. The style is aggressive without losing sight of the need for a catchy hook. But that alone does not a good album make. Maybe it is because it is just the two of them Carter and Ansell, and they lack critical input from a third party to strengthen and spice up what the two of them put together. Perhaps that ought to be the job of the producer, but I suspect that the band has simply identified its sound and decided to stick with it.

This is a mistake. While there are decent enough tracks, such as the opener "Don't Ask", which has one of the best vocal hooks on the album, and is probably the best on the album, there are simply not enough of them. "Colours Fade" and "Keeping It Close" are alright in their own way, but the rest of the album is nothing really special.

I have to say that if this represents the direction of indie music, then it is a genre which has passed its sell-by date. There is nothing new here and while it has not yet become an unwitting parody of itself, it is not far short of it. Music needs originality and there is really little here that can be described as original.
Rating: 5/10