my awesome compiltaion actions
The distorted fuzz guitar of the first track YOU NEED DISCIPLINE sounds promising, it’s a much-used cliché but it works for me. Saying that, it almost immediately lapses into one of the most boring albums I’ve heard for ages.
Through the entire album we get the insipid plodding kiddy style emo punk. They sound exactly like so many other bands around at the moment, think Holiday plan or any of the others of that ilk. There’s no real emotion here, it’s all pretty insipid, no bite at all. Even the keyboard isn’t enough to lift it from the floor.
I know their mini album ‘The View Is Amazing’ got good reviews and they’ve got a bit of a fan base, but I really can’t see it increasing in size any time soon. If all their stuff is going to be like this, people will drift away.
It’s not just dull, plodding and boring, Chris Driver’s vocals are, for the most part, annoying. Lot’s of over emphasised pronunciation that is really unnecessary. The only time we get to hear how good they could be is for brief moments on the title track ACTIONS. Gruffer earthy blokey, rather than the McFly plus vocals. If only more of the album sounded like this, it would be more listenable and certainly a lot more interesting.
Check out the track LONGSHOT for quite probably the most excruciating use of the word ‘fire’. Let’s talk about the instrumentation. The best bit about the album is undoubtedly the guitar work of the aforementioned Chris Driver. There’s nothing wrong with it at all, it’s just spoilt by mostly tick tock rhythm of the drums. And the vocals. The keyboards for the most part may as well not be there; you can’t hear them at all.
AWAKE, the last track, is a completely different kettle of fish. It shows they can do something a little different. It’s refreshing. It would certainly not turn on their usual audience. No guitars, a gentle indie pop confection, it’s very sweet, and definitely more of the right vehicle for the vocals. It sound like a cross between Neil from ‘The Young Ones’ and David Devant and his Spirit Wife. It gives Andy Driver (yep, they’re brothers) a little bit of scope. I’ll admit to missing this (and a few others) off the first time I played the album, I got bored and drifted off. Glad I caught up with it.
The album is released in August on the Sorepoint label and they’re touring throughout the UK, if you should care to see for yourself.