South - 'Underground Journey' (Young American) Released 09/10/06

South are going down a treat in the US since their song ‘Paint The Silence’ was used as a backdrop to a slushy moment on the OC. Maybe that’s why they decided to release this CD with unfeasibly long title over there first. Will it make you feel like you’re living in Newport Beach, Caaaaaaaliforniaaa? Probably not. Will it be demand constant listening to like a newfound love? Quite possibly yes.

Comparisons to a plethora of Brit bands have been suggested but the fact that South are a trio of old schoolfriends rather than a room full of karaoke kings makes them unique. ‘Adventures In The Underground Journey To The Stars’ may be a bugger to type but it’s a pleasure to listen to. Don’t be fooled by the new New Order opener ‘Shallow’. That’s right wade through all the ‘ahh ooohs’. Joel Cadbury has a smoother voice than Bernard Sumner <insert your own chocolate pun here> and this keeps you listening. And then the mood shifts. This happens a lot. It’s like watching Pulp Fiction, it doesn’t follow a linear route and it works.

Unlike their previous releases the vast body of work on ‘Adventures In The Underground Journey To The Stars’ is produced by the band themselves (with a couple of contributions from Dave Fringa, who produced their 2004 album ‘With The Tides’). South take the listener by the hand and lead them around a eleven song strong musical maze. ‘Up and Close and Personal’ has an almost biopolar feeling to it that keeps the song from being as Coldplay as the opening would suggest. It’s the shortest track here and the more it’s listened to the more you realize it’s a bit special.“If my head blows up you might just want to leave”.

And then just as you think they couldn’t possibly cram anymore genres into one small disc of polycarbonate plastic in drifts Pearl Lowe. She of Primrose Hill celebrity and bearer of genetically indie based children sounds like a goddess rather than a yummy mummy  on ‘Know Yourself’ a breezy guitar based with harmonies that are so good  that they are almost edible. Impossible to pin down. Impossibly impressive.