Everything Everything lead singer Jonathan Higgs claimed his one rule was to never sound like anybody else. The Manchester quartet’s debut Man Alive may have achieved this five years ago, but just miss out in 2010. The influx of synth/plucky guitar bands have taken over the airwaves and moistened NME to the core, a movement that will undoubtedly turn dry in the next year or two.
Man Alive offers two short albums in one; the first half a pace-ridden, frenetic synth-pop collection of (seemingly) Friendly Fires b-sides, while the second half produces a increased seriousness to their sound, credibly created by slowing down and turning off.
Personal favourites ‘Final Form’ and ‘Come Alive Diana’ see Higgs create a gloomy tone heard all too seldom throughout. However, even these tracks fall short in the chorus department, a trend seen in almost every track. This is not down to lack of effort, as the noticeable differences in time signatures, genres and keys within songs are credible, but are too often overshadowed by riff over synth over layered operatic vocal.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad album, it just falls short due to its ability to sound like every other synth-pop band that flooded our airwaves a year ago. The unusual and unpredictable chord progressions just about gives the album depth, although saying this, Déjà vu just about loses it’s meaning by track ten.
Comments