|
The Electric Soft Parade released its debut album,
Holes In The Wall, in 2002 to great acclaim from
the fickle British press. No Need To Be Downhearted
is their third album, and it carries on the likeable
Britpop tradition of the band without breaking any
new ground.
ESP is made up of brothers Tom and Alex White,
who aren’t ashamed to show their influences,
with their rock/electronic sonic collages referencing
the Flaming Lips and the Super Furry Animals.
The first three tracks show great diversity, from
the piano-centered ballad that leads off (it works
more as an intro than a song unto itself) to the
electronic plinking that carries the melody behind
driving guitars in the catchy “Life In The
Backseat.”
“Woken By A Kiss” sounds like the
more anthemic leanings of Doves, featuring a bridge
and chorus straight out of Syd Barrett’s
Pink Floyd, with a swirling synth floating behind
the vocals. It’s not the only time the band
brings psychedelia to the mix, as “Secrets”
moves from a basement acoustic ballad to an orchestrated
crescendo.
The brothers White’s excellent harmonies
weave in and out of the album, showing up in fine
form on “Misunderstanding” and the
gentle, acoustic “Shore Song/Surfacing.”
“Shore Song” segues into “Surfacing,”
a bubbly, ambient break that splits the album.
Unfortunately after this break, the rest of the
album doesn’t quite live up to the first
part.
While there are instrumental passages in a few
of the songs that will surprise the listener outside
of their pop surroundings, there is also a fair
amount of standard Britpop fair, including “Misunderstanding”
(“the single”, says the band), “Cold
World”, and “Have You Ever Felt Like
It’s Too Late.”
“Come Back Inside” shows more of
an Americana influence, with a descending guitar
riff making it the only song on the album that
seems bleak in its outlook. The general optimism
of the album makes sense, as the titular Part
1 and Part 2 of “No Need To Be Downhearted”
open and close the album, respectively. In the
band’s favor, there’s truly no reason
to be downhearted after hearing it.
While it’s undeniably catchy and fun, No
Need To Be Downhearted isn’t going to change
your world. It’s a great sunny day album.
If you’re a Britpop fan, take the dive.
www.electricsoftparade.com
www.myspace.com/electricsoftparade
-Joshua Davis, April 25, 2007
See More Reviews at our
Music Review Archive
|
