The Like - ‘Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking’ (Geffen) Released 13/03/06

 

 …right, we’ve listened to this album a few times now and, OK, to tag it corporate whoredom may be a bit harsh, especially as they would probably not have had to jump through that many hoops to get hooked up with Geffen anyway. Fact is, The Like are - in a bland and obvious way - good at what they do: Z Berg’s voice is an alluring blend of Tanya Donnelly and Chrissie Hynde, even sounding a tad like Beth Gibbons on the dark, spiralling ‘Too Late’. She also has a strong ear for melody, notably on the gentle strum of ‘We Are Lost’ and the pounding ‘The One’, while Beatles-y chord changes pop up all over the place. Also, in ‘Under The Paving Stones’, they’ve got the edgy new wave track that, if released as a single, will probably fool a lot of people into buying ‘Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking’.

 

However, the good points aren’t really good enough to make this anything more than an adequate debut. There aren’t even any real howlers (though whoever got Prince’s producer to push the buttons on the record wants to be flogged, as the guitars have less meat than a post-op transsexual); just a steady stream of competence and a general dearth of excitement. They also wear their Crowded House, The Sundays and Throwing Muses influences far too visibly on the sleeves of their vintage dresses, so much so that ‘You Bring Me Down’ and ‘(So I’ll Sit Here) Waiting’ could easily be tracks tailored for the likes of Natalie Imbruglia or an ex-Spice Girl. Which, if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, is not really what you wanna be listening to in 2006.

 

That’s not to say The Like won’t be very successful this year; it’s just not going to be a very interesting breakthrough. Corporate whoredom? No. Try desperate boredom and you’re getting close…