Elly Roberts reviews
The Electric Soft Parade: No Need To Be Downhearted
Distributed by
Truck Records
- April 2007
- Rating: 6/10
Brighton already has one famous resident – Fat Boy Slim.
The Electric Soft Parade are also residents, apparently, but have yet
to acquire a similar status. So will this third album propel them into the
big time?
Previous albums haven’t done well, so they’ve parted company with their major
label, with brothers Alex and Tom White going to Truck Records. Bits of it
will be very appealing to the mainstream, but some bits will be the reserve
of musos. When it works, it works really well, and is unlike anything on the
current scene.
In parts, their music has definite '60s trippy hippy leanings – Shore Song (a la Devendra Banhart/Sufjan Stevens) blended with current
chart pop outings like heavy chord riffed Misunderstanding (a great
single lads.. come on get it out !) and crunching rocker If That’s The
Case (this too a potential single).
Secrets is the type of alt-country outing by Micah. P. Hinson – sparse
and hollow acoustic guitar and vocals which juxtapose perfectly with its predecessor,
though it does rise to a heavily brassed-up and percussive crescendo.
Amazingly, Cold War could have been right out of a McCartney '60s
songbook, with its upbeat and catchy hooks – maybe a tribute to Macca?
Elsewhere, we get glorious music from the likes of Come Back Inside despite
its cacophonous ending.
Title track, parts 1 and 2 show their versatility and the strength in depth
in terms of songwriting, though Life In A Backseat is their only
major weak spot.
Their potential is immense.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
