Regional maybe?
Double a-side single 'Of National Importance/The Mother Position' precedes the debut full length offering ('Baby Machine') from This Et Al set for release in April. Lots of people have had lots of nice things to say about This Et Al and up to a point you have to agree with them. Big sweeping melodies, countered by a driven rhythm section, strong (occasionally falsetto) vocals and fairly lavish production all put you in mind of the better exponents of modern day indie rock.
There is one fundamental problem however, 'Of National Importance' has lots of good things going for it except a really great tune! The rhythm section is good, there are one or two catchy vocal moments and the whole thing moves along with a good sense of urgency but after three or four listens it's still not sticking in the mind. The same can be said of 'The Mother Position', which builds nicely but then fails to deliver the killer blow. I can imagine that live they are quite intense and build a good vibe in a small venue but without that kind of visual impact they just don't do enough on this evidence to really grab your attention. In an age where we find ourselves bombarded with generic indie it's the bands that really push the boundaries that stick long in the mind, This Et Al are on the way but are yet to reach the outer limits.