Labels: Much Better Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Not really sure what’s going on here, nor if there is anyone at the C who would review this properly. The first song starts off with synths, getting all ambient, and then a little while later there’s a Scotch guy singing a bit off-key. I’m reading through the notes that came with the CD to try and find something to grasp on to, but failing miserably. It’s indie, they probably take drugs, and they like electronic instrumentation. This certainly isn’t one of those CDs that I toe punt through an open window in the direction of Norwich city centre, but I guess you could say I don’t really have a clue about it. The opening track eventually builds up, getting quite rocking, and now I am starting to get into it, settling into an easy to listen to groove, with a big wall of sound swirling above me. Nice. Now that I’ve figured out that I quite like where they’re coming from, I can get on with enjoying the music. It’s all kind of shambling, hapless stuff, kind of like how life is for so many. It doesn’t really know where it’s going and neither do I, and due to that fact I can “dig”. Some of the electronic stuff is not so much to my tastes, “This Is Not An Exit” is all thumpy beats and god knows I detest the sound of thumpy bass coming through my walls so why would I want it in my own fucking lounge or headphones? Skip that one, and other tracks where the bass intrudes a bit too much. You don’t need it. But I am definitely giving thumbs up to the almost shoegazey drift though that they can belt out from time to time, it’s like a big hazy fog of tipsy confusion. And “Pariah State” and “Night Owl” are a big, bouncy, miserable electro-pop monsters, like if Antarctica weren’t so serious. And Scottish. Right good uns.
So eventually I have discovered that I rather like this. It makes me wonder who sent it though and why they guessed that we wouldn’t just pan it. Clearly someone is reading really closely and knows me better than I do, or alternatively they sent this to every single person in the world hoping that someone would be happy to scribble a few positive words on some god forsaken backwater of the internet. Good work, Viva Stereo!