Review: The Futureheads…”This is Not the World”

After spending a year wading outside the music spotlight and parting ways with label 679, the Futureheads treaded back to the scene with their latest effort, This is Not the World, released on their own label, Nul Records. The question is, did the changes help them? The answer: kind of. Yes, This is Not the World is much more polished than their previous self-titled release but the UK outfit traded their jagged, calculated marches for even sharper but a lot poppier, yet darker refrains (“Sale of the Century,” “The Beginning of the Twist,” “Sleet”). They’re still great – their rhythms are still strong and danceable but their music is not as unique as it once was (just check out “Everything’s Changing Today” and Radio Heart”). With This is Not the World, the Futureheads has now become every English band we’ve heard before. So yea, kind of.

–Annamarya Scaccia [June 25, 2008]

Review: CHERRY GHOST “Thirst for Romance”

Bolton-based troupe Cherry Ghost is surrounded by hype – their debut album, Thirst for Romance, receiving rave reviews, though this listener is not so sure the glowing prose is deserved. [Ed. Note: as it was chosen as an AMPLIFIER Album of the Week some feel it worthy of high praise]. Musically, the UK outfit is good – Simon Aldred’s vocals are subtly twangy and sometimes loutish and the instrumentals swell with honest intensity (“People Help the People,” “4am,” “Roses,” “Thirst for Romance”). But, and it’s a big BUT, it’s all too reminiscent of Chicago-based Wilco, the band behind “Theologians,” from which Cherry Ghost got its band name. The album has too much of an overt Americana vibe that Wilco is known for, and by default Jeff Tweedy’s former band Uncle Tupelo. Cherry Ghost’s debut album is not as stark as that of, what could be its American counterpart. Instead, some of Thirst for Romance’s key tracks, like “Mathematics” and “False Alarm,” are lissom and whimsical, crafting an idiosyncratic atmosphere. Still, those songs can’t make up for the obvious.

–Annamarya Scaccia [May 21, 2008]

Review: POMEGRANATES “Everything is Alive”

The debut album, Everything is Alive, from Ohio-based quartet Pomegranates, is ripe with ripping low-fi indie pop sensibilities. Its an effort reflective of contemporary shoegaze – the harmonizing instrumentals offsetting swaying vocal dynamics that see-saw from sweet, delicate breathes to solid, harsh growls (“Honey Moon Pie,” “Whom/Who,” “Appreciations,” “Thunder Meadow”). The four gents, Joey Cook, Isaac Karns, Josh Kufeldt and Jacob Merritt, can even be a bit enchanting – track “The Uncanny Terrace Treeclimber” is a twinkling, dreamy number with shimmering guitars that swells with toe-tapping goodness. But maybe it’s the small hints of Built to Spill spilling across the record that makes Pomegranates’ newest effort feel familiar. But in the case of Everything is Alive, familiarity doesn’t breed contempt.

–Annamarya Scaccia [May 21, 2008]