The Pigeon Detectives – Up, Guards And At 'Em!
West Yorkshire's own The Pigeon Detectives have been around for about seven years and have had great success including selling a total of over 500,000 copies of their first two albums (('Wait For Me' and 'Emergency') (up to the end of 2008)) and having graced the stages of some big festivals such as Reading & Leeds, T In The Park and Oxegen 2008. After being relatively quiet since then, 2011 sees the release of their new album 'Up, Guards And At 'Em!'.
Without venturing too far from their earlier releases, The Pigeon Detectives have released a new collection of songs in the same old style with the same old clichéd sound of 'indie' guitar (don't ask me to explain, but I know what I mean) and inevitable catchy choruses. After 'She Wants Me' and 'Lost' have had their airing, the rest of the album seems to be locked in a hazy time warp of repetitiveness. There are some good moments but all too often the listener is having to work beyond the call of duty to recognize them. I found my concentration all too often wandering away from the music only for it to be re-focused when a track stopped and the silence broke in; not a good sign!
Maybe trying too hard to please the most ardent of fans, they seem to have not ventured too far from what they know will sell. The introduction of some synthesizers doesn't really help as the atmosphere of most of what's here still sounds flat and lethargic. Synthesisers in the right hands can add layers and atmosphere, make songs into epics and make the whole listening experience more rewarding; here they just annoy.
There are so many bands around pumping out music of this style and a lot of them are doing it a lot more competently than the Pigeon Detectives. I think it's time for a change for them; they need to mature musically and venture into (not too deep) unchartered waters if they ever want to re-live their successes. To quote them in their own words 'What Can I Say?'.