The Delays - 'Everything's The Rush' (Fiction) Released 05/05/08

It would be so easy to lay verbal waste to the Delay's overblown power-pop.  Regardless of how fucked-up the world continues to become the Delays keep coming back with songs so unbelievably positive they're like listening to a musical version of Voltaire's Candide. "Everything is for the best" their optimistic juicy little numbers seem to suggest;  remonstrating someone for throwing their "Lego in the Lake / What do you wanna go and do that for?" from past hit 'Long Time Coming' still a lingering example of the depth of their social commentary.

So approaching 'Everything's the Rush' feels like Banksy approaching some inherently-hypocritical institution; you want to stencil bone-crunching drone metal over their cheery-cheery faces. And initially they don't disappoint.  'Everything's the Rush' is so over-laden with giddy, flowery choruses and bouncy Monkees-style verses that the Delays are in danger of turning into a Take That full of Mark Owens, intent on world domination through cheeky little smile-pop. Opener 'Girls On Fire', 'No Contest' and new single 'Hooray', all pile on the summery cheese with unashamed pleasure, while Youth's shimmering production can't hide the simplicity and lack of ideas here.

'Keep It Simple' and 'Pieces' fare much better. By far the two stand out tracks, both feature a rush of Manics and Verve-style symphonic pop and the skyscraping heights the Delays constantly hint at. The best ideas coming from greater bands, they only work at showing up the slim creativity elsewhere.  Immediately after the heights of 'Pieces', they fall back into Mark Owen territory with the uninspired 'Touch Down', which begins with a line that the Delays really should think about. "Wake up Rock Star / You've gone too far".