Labels: Soda
Review by: Andy Malcolm
What’s up with Rydell? All their releases come on European labels, first Scene Police, now Soda from Germany, and they have an acoustic 7″ lined up on an Austrian one. Some UK label really ought to give these guys a chance, as they are rather good. “Home” starts off rather confusingly with it’s shouty vocals and drumbeat, hey, it’s a hip-hop record! No, hang on a second, it goes all jangly and laid back, slow building into an enormous indie rock chorus. This song won’t help them shake that “England’s (pre-country cock) Chamberlain” tag, although the vocals might engender some Jawbreaker comparisons this time around. Kind of. “Home” is great, a real indie emo anthem for the masses. With bands like Rydell and Sunfactor, the UK is showing those tired-ass American bands how to do this thing good.
Pale are German and back up the ‘Dell here with a 5 minute effort called “Home Is Lost (When I’ll Be Back In Your Heart)”. Ooh, listen to that pretty chiming guitar intro, and that drum sound. Definite Christie Front Drive, ah, in the comes the vocalist and oh, he’s American. Or at least sounds like it. Now it sounds like all those bands on Emo Diaries III and I am bored. Gee-neric. It has a fast chorus. This sounds like every emo band ever, and that means that although it does sound nice and good, it also means it’s not particularly inspired and you have this song already if you own anything made by a band influenced by Sunny Day or Mineral or CFD or god damn anybody. The band it sounds most like is Waxwing, who also sound like everyone else.
Pale – need to bring something new to the indie emo table. Rydell – lay a banquet on the whole damn thing.