Kubb - Mother (Mercury) Released 28/11/05

With three singles under their belt, at least one of which is bound to get the inevitable ‘now that the album is popular’ re-release, Kubb bring us their debut album, Mother. It's a melodic, delicately polished and emotionally charged record, which for some is not going to provide much of an alternative to the current tuneful indie offerings of Keane, Coldplay or Embrace.  But, what Kubb do provide is Harry Collier, their Liverpool born, Tobago raised and Cornish settled frontman.  His poetic and sincere lyrics which lace this album, not to mention his powerful and distinctive vocals, could well help Kubb to become one of next year’s hottest newcomers.  You may be forgiven though for imagining that Kubb are purely a vehicle for one man’s talent, but the reality is, this four-piece are a vehicle for a whole band’s talent.  Just go and see them live to see what all the fuss is about, it is here that Kubb really come into their own, so keep tabs on next year’s festival line ups with an eager eye.

There is no doubting Harry Collier’s song-writing ability though.  Comparisons to Jeff Buckley are rife and ‘Somebody Else’ shows more than a hint of Buckley’s influence with its energetic vocal crescendo.  His lyrics seem to ooze a charm of honesty, an account of a life that has had its fair share of experiences – travel, family, love? It truly is an autobiographical journey through his thoughts and an indication of what we can expect either with or without the existence of Kubb. 

Standout tracks such as ‘Sun’ and ‘Grow’ (this guy seems to like his one word track titles) have the emotion that’s bound to drum up comparisons with the likes of their comrades Keane and Embrace (also produced by the respected producer, Youth).  But, crowd-pleasers like the singles ‘Wicked Soul’  – an upbeat, piano-led radio favourite – and the even more fantastic ‘Remain’ are evidence of the alternative that Kubb may offer, although you can’t help wishing that ‘Mother’ had more of this than its melancholy offerings.  ‘Without You’ which harks of early U2, has not just the name in common, check out those guitars and we’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions there!

A promising debut none the less, and a band that we're sure we going to here a lot about, although we're still not convinced about that sleeve artwork?