Tellison - Contact! Contact!
London based foursome Tellison released their debut album Contact! Contact! back in 2007. This year they are re-releasing it as a special edition, re-mastered version to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its original release.
The opening track to the album, the raw but memorable Hanover Start Clapping is the perfect track to act as an introduction to this band for first time listeners. It is upbeat with guitars providing some great melodies, has a fairly catchy chorus and some backing vocal shouts at times. The rest of the tracks follow suit pretty well; Gallery and Henry went to Paris with their united vocal singing in a rather prominent Brit accent; Ambulance sounds as though there are a few wisps of electronica in the background, and with the harmonies setting in makes for something new. New York New York New York is one of the more powerful tracks on this release, and at half way through the album really wakes you up. The guitars and drums rage together, the vocals present lyrics well, particularly the sing-a-long chorus and backing shouts set a feel good factor free.
Hospital, Fire and Architects are ballad types where vocals are as gentle as the music, very subtle guitar plucking and drums with the lyrical writings becoming more notable with the latter exploding towards the end. On Reader the vocals are spoken rather than sung which is a bit of a let-down, especially as the music is so upbeat; likewise for Tender is the Night where the guitar pop melodies are powerful but the vocals don't give the song the oomph it needs to be as memorable as other tracks on the album.
Throughout this release the music provided is of a high standard, it is enjoyable to listen to and fairly catchy. Some tracks are more memorable than others, but that is to be expected with any album; it is rare to get a release where each track is as spectacular as the ones around it. While it doesn't offer too much in the way of bonus material for a fifth anniversary edition (just two bonus tracks) what originally established Tellison as a favourite of London's upcoming music scene back in 2007 will likely draw in a whole new crowd with its re-release.