2008-01-16
For Athlete’s third release, the band built on sounds captured on laptops while touring the United States. They recorded and produced the album themselves in a studio they built near their U.K. homes. Self-producing the CD may have been a mistake. A producer could have pushed them to be more creative, to test their limits. An undercurrent of potential runs through the CD, which makes the lackluster release especially frustrating. One major blunder on the CD is the insensitivity of the fist-pumping anthem “Hurricane” in light of Katrina’s devastation. In addition to a quote gone awry (“This is something we’ve gotta get used to”), lead singer Joel Pott sings, "Oh, hurricane. What you gonna do to us this time?” Us? The song sets up the U.K. boys as outsiders, which makes establishing a connection with the music difficult. --MLGBeth Gibbons and Rustin Man
Out of Season
DOVES
Kingdom of Rust
K.D. LAND AND THE SISS BOOM BANG
SING IT LOUD
LOVE FOSSIL
Scientists, Save Us!
VIENNA TENG
Inland Territory
Big Head Todd and The Monsters
All The Love You Need
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.