A band that forgot that songs should be coherent
This self-titled effort is weird; a bizarre mix of Fugazi, Doves, lo-fi and the Pixies proves ultimately to be too much like hard work. Chaotic at best, schizophrenic at worst, combinations of sinister and upbeat sound as if two songs are playing at the same time. There's a feeling it was made by people with short attention spans, and their endeavours would've been better used in perfecting a few styles instead of half a dozen. In fact, weighing in at 20 tracks, it could have been split into two albums and still been decent.
Everything starts of just fine, as lo-fi and 'A House'-era Doves come together on 'Dressed for the Sea' in a pleasant track even if it's a bit forgettable. Track three is when the rot sets in; it's not that the individual bits are bad, it's together they sound ill-fitting - summery vocals and dark guitars just don't go. The Pixies did it, sure, to some extent but it always sounded more coherent. So begins the dark and repressive path that The Love Substitutes weave, each stranger than the last. 'Hate The Love Substitutes' is less a song than a film score, and it threatens to blot out any surrounding light.
Occasionally, there are patches of light, Bangladesh Fashions being one of them. It's one of the few times that a track sounds like a proper song, with a brooding guitar and nervy vocals to match. It's something echoed on 'Someone Like You' further on - a rather Flaming Lips-like opus. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long, although this time there are touches of the blues about 'Novelty Size' at least to make up for the disarray. The same can't be said for 'Madonna Footage' which is merely messy.
From 'You Seem to Have Forgotten Who I Am', lo-fi creeps in every now and again and it's refreshing to see that these guys do actually know how to write a decent song. The gentle tones are touching and along with 'November 1977', is one of the best tracks on the album. If only there was less of the likes of 'Not Even Mutiny' and 'Give the People What They Want' - a return to the ways of 'Hate The Love Substitutes' - all would be much better. A frustrating and largely unrewarding listen, sadly best avoided.