More irritatingly catchy indie from the Wakefield trio
When Wakefield trio The Research first began they were borrowing their drums and bass guitar from friends, while lead singer Russell was playing a keyboard that he'd bought from Cash Converters; listening to 'The Way You Used To Smile'... it sounds like it.
Okay, there's something extremely appealing about the up-tempo, homegrown quality of this track that makes the band quite endearing, especially the lead-singer's quirky, naïve sounding vocals and the sugary female harmonies. However, while 'The Way You Used to Smile' may be cute and catchy the first time round, by the time you've heard it for the third time its irritation level is off the scale.
It's hard to tell if The Research's genius is in their simplicity, or whether a song based around a drum kit and an electric keyboard is just taking the piss. Either way, people that read NME and who watch MTV2 will no doubt be drooling over this; for the rest of us however, the jury's still out.