The award for best physical release of the batch goes to the guys in Calm As The Colour. A CD that’s packaged like a record, complete with grooves – nice touch.
Onto the music however, and it’s not quite as positive. The jangly, summery sounds of the otherwise tight band are spoiled by a dull, lifeless vocal. It’s not just tonally that the vocal doesn’t quite hit the mark, there’s not the range or control to convey the story effectively.
What the songs may lack in one department, they make up for in others. The structures lend themselves to repeated listens well; the production ensures every instrument cuts through well without overpowering one another; and finally, the songs themselves have enough going on melodically and rhythmically to grab our attention and keep it. Sadly it’s let down by perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle.
- Caan - 1 July 2012
- Jupe Jupe - 30 June 2012
- Johnny 5th Wheel & The Cowards - 29 June 2012
I’m sorry but I don’t understand this review. How on earth is this a sentence: “The jangly, summery sounds of the otherwise tight band, and spoiled by a dull, lifeless vocal.”?
Apologies, this is the editor, and that is, I think, an editing error. Sorry, it should have read “and spoiled…”
Corrected now!
This review is utter nonsense. One of the best unsigned bands in Scotland who have been played by Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson god knows how many times but no one in Scotland will back them. Is this music has one less fan.
Just came across this review this morning after speaking to the singer. Nothing constructive to be said and it is abstruse. To whoever wrote this go back and rethink your approach to writing because if this is the level the music journalism is at ive lost all hope.
dunno if the last 2 comments are mates of the singer or just trolls but they do talk an awful lot of nonsense. Some personal nonsense about the reviewer, and “no-one in Scotland will back them” – how about, er, is this music then, in the previous review the band got which praises everything including the vocals!
As for the other one, “nothing constructive to say”? Um, apart from “tight, summery sounds”, the structures that allow repeated listens, the songs themselves, and even the CD and sleeve. Yes, he’s really sticking the boot in there.
Tell you what, maybe the writers will learn to write when the readers have learned to read. Or maybe just accepted that people sometimes have an opinion different from your own.
Im not a troll. Im a music fan who loves Scottish bands and for me personally no one in Scotland gets behind good bands.
well, ok, we’ll have to disagree here as plenty of people – ITM, Jim Gellatly, Ally McCrae and Vic Galloway, loads of people in blogs and even the newspapers like the Herald and the Record/Sunday Mail review Scottish bands and are usually quite positive or constructive about it. I reckon this review was unusual in not being 5-star raving but it’s honest and the criticism was not personal even if some (not all) of the comments were negative.
Aye if you are a tin pot art student that wears your grans jumpers and plugs gameboys into your guitar pedals you will no doubt get a 5 star rating. Im from Edinburgh mate. Ive lived there for 15 years and the music scene is utter garbage. Same with Glasgow. Fife has calm as the colour, the draymin, modern faces and many others. A wee bit of jealousy me thinks. I got wind of this review through a facebook thread last week and was absolutely shocked. Its patronising in the sense that they have won the best cd presentation lol. Their music has soul. If you dont believe me check out their new video to sometimes. No arguments just want to see good music get what it deserves.
Lazy journalism at best.
wtf is this review all about? totally ridiculous