I have two problems with this outfit:
1: They had a record out, a cult of people heard it, it was distributed, became a "cool" no-name band. however despite the obvious time between the album they did then and the album they did for major label release, they forgot to write any new tunes! d'oh!
I mean really. bands don't do that. it makes no sense. Lazy, uninspired and a horrific sign of an age in which people are so aware that the "pop market" are afraid of new music, they even fear new material from a band guaranteed to sell large quantities.
2: They became so popular through being whispered about as being unknowns. Everyone thought, oh wow no one has heard of this band and before you knew it it was the fastest selling album in UK chart history (Ithink, uk chart history isnt my area of expertise.) Okay, fair enough, the band are alright, some mildly interesting moments, however an overwhelming feel of 90's garages full of drunk teenagers, (accept it, this kind of punky britrock is not the future. It's the past again. which is actually what i think the future is now. what's going on?! Is our future a past or is the past actually the future but before the subsequent revelations. i dont care)
TBH, I really am not a fan of that whole sound and scene, however there are some bands that genuinely impressed me, British Sea Power, Interpol, Wolf Parade, the Constantines, but the chances of these bands making it big were ruined by one thing... they challennge you, that's why their material is good, and why the "pop market" will never buy their records.
let's face it, the charts (in the UK at least) are decided by around 100,000 - 150,000 complete ****ing idiots with no taste and a subscription to NME/Smash Hits or whatever bullshit. Ignore them. Dont try and get them to buy your material. forget it.
phew, that was fun... catch ya later
Max