'Seven Weeks' kicks off the second album from the three Essex upstarts, embarking on a mighty rampage of noise and fury. It sets the tone for an album that is mostly a combination of epic rock songs, raucous riffs and lots of shouting. Although this is alternated with slower, mellow, more tender tunes such as 'White Butterfly’ and ‘Almost Lost’ (The latter ballad worryingly close to Westlife territory. Yes, really. Just a little bit edgier). But whether they’re doing Boyband Gone Rock or Hard Rock Assaults On The Ear Drums, they sound increasingly stylised with an American polish. Perhaps that owes in some part to the input of the album’s producer Josh Abraham. (He has previously worked with old grunge bag, Courtney Love, middle-aged rockers, Velvet Revolver, and those nu-metal ragamuffins, Limp Bizkit).None the less, the songs themselves are fairly masterful, hooky, built up, and ready to blast at a sizeable mosh pit near you soon. The lyrics are however absolutely inescapably awful. Take for example, “I Walk You To Your Room/I Wish This Was My Tomb”, from the album closer ‘Chamber’. And then there’s the abundance of clichés that creep into songs such as ‘This Town’, ‘Just A Glimpse’ and the “Why can’t we just be friends?” chorus of ‘A World Apart’.
Such lyrics still don’t feel that far away from the angsty teenage stuff that was presented in their debut, and their appeal still feels limited to those restraints. (If ‘limited’ is the correct word for the quite respectable 50, OOO+ UK sales of their acclaimed last album)
You can keep up to date with all the latest news from Gigwise by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
The Black Keys - 'Brothers' (V2/Co-Operative) Released 17/05/10
Hole - 'Nobody's Daughter' (Mercury) Released 03/05/10
Kids In Glass Houses - 'Dirt' (Roadrunner) Released 29/03/10
Ash - 'A-Z Vol.1' (Atomic Heart) 29/03/10
Mystery musicians revealed: unmasked and no make up
The sexiest women in music: the 30+ edition.jpg)
The many faces of Jessie J: volume two
