OR   Search for Artist/Title    Advanced Search
 
you are not logged in...  [login] 
All Reviews    Edit This Review     
Review: 'April Towers'
'Certified Freaky'   

-  Label: 'Fine Frequency Sounds'
-  Genre: 'Pop' -  Release Date: '8th June 2018'

Our Rating:
Bouncy is the word that springs to mind, at least initially. I’m reminded as much of Electronic’s debut album, whipped together with some pre-86 Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys. And there are some vintage drop-and build moments. Then again, it plots a certain emotional journey, and it’s not quite as zany or wild as the title suggests.

There are some well-worn late 90s / early noughties dance tropes woven into the fabric of the songs, and I’m not just talking about the plinky post Chicago house piano and tacky Casiotone drum additions. The shuffling beat of ‘Do You Listen’ is pure retro.

It’s all pretty standard fare, both musically and lyrically, with references to sun and rain and so on and so forth. While song titles like ‘Age of the Offended’ and ‘Modern Psyche’ may suggest some greater depth, there’s a lot of stuff about relationships and breaks ups and heartbreak, and I’d wager that the jaunty ‘Tel Aviv’ owes more in its naming to the track on Duran Duran’s debut and the hedonistic aspects of Israel’s second city than the conflict zone on the borders.


The piano balladry of ‘The Only Way Up is Down’ finds Alex Noble (vocals, guitars, keyboards) adopt an introspective tone and reflect that ‘I never wanna be that guy’.

It’s an album of two halves, with the uptempo buoyancy of the first half giving way to a more downtempo, introspective and less chirpy second half. Closer ‘Staring Across the Room’ manages to lift things as it heads toward its conclusion, with some propellant beats pushing through the home straight.


  author: Christopher Nosnibor

[Show all reviews for this Artist]

READERS COMMENTS    10 comments still available (max 10)    [Click here to add your own comments]

There are currently no comments...
----------



April Towers - Certified Freaky