I got hold of this album on the strength of the single "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants" with its edgy groovy beat and mesmerising video. I have to admit it... I was disappointed. The rest of the album lacks toe tapping addictiveness of the single, making it... as with so many album v single situations these days... a bit of a red herring.
At this point I wouldn't blame most people for never bothering to listen to the album again. But because I know from experience you cannot judge an album without listening at least five times I left it in the car and let it work its quirky squeaky charm on me.
What I discovered... as is often the case. The more commercial single faded away as the moody subtle tracks on the rest of the album started to shine, and boy... do they shine. It did take a lot of listens. Maybe up to ten to really start to "get" the album, but the end result is well worth the patients.
I would probably say if you are the sort of person that likes the post o.k. computer radiohead, chances are you will find what I have found in this album, If you tastes are a little more on the radio friendly side, it may not captivate you in quite the same way.
The only real gripe I have with the album... the thing I would advise them to do for album #2 is the balance between the two singers is too swayed towards the high end. One of them does a few tracks in a kind of editors but credible kind of tone, and I think they could of used this a bit more to balance it out.
Over all it's a 4/5. Its not a life changing album, and you probably wont be listening to it in a few years time. What it is however is the sign of one of the most promising potentials I have heard in a very long time. There is an overwhelming sense of a band just dipping their toes in the water here. You cannot help but feel they have so much more to do yet.
