It's hard to imagine a band who regularly rehearse in an aircraft hangar opting for minimalism along the lines of the Young Marble Giants anyway, but ace Bristol quintet UNDERCUT are clearly keen to give stadia colossi like U2 and Coldplay a run for their money with their debut album: the largely rather sublime "Something To Die For."
Not that this writer's usually all that enamoured with this kind of thing as a rule, but if it's a choice of limp-wristed wimps like Travis or Keane or guys like these, well I know which ride I'm signing up for, because at least Undercut have the spirit, the feeling and the tunes to back up the hype. Not to mention, in Johnny Benn, a singer who can actually project and (gasp) sing in the traditional sense of the term.
Clearly those long hours in the hangar (makes a change from Rooz Studios and the usual East End hangouts, huh?) have paid off, for "Something To Die For" is consistent, punchy and ambitious and produced with tangible clarity by experienced deskmeister Ian Grimble, even if he has previously worked with Travis for his sins. Still, everyone's gotta eat, right?
Impressive pair of trailer singles "To Die For" and "Soul Food Mother" give you some idea of where the band are coming from. Hurt and jealousy dominate the lyrics of the former, which opens with the memorably angry lines "You crush my bones and burn my clothes/ You think you can breeze right in and take my place" and proves Johnny Benn can do the currently de rigeur falsetto-inflection thing with more aplomb than most, while "Soul Food Mother" opens with a "Sweet Child O'Mine"-style guitar motif before piling into a thunderous indie-rocker akin to Ride or The Boxer Rebellion, but with the confidence to bring the tunes into the foreground.
But however good these tunes are (and they are), "Something To Die For" presents a whole cache of songs of at least the same high calibre, several more of which could just as easily be singles in their own right. Opener "Soil", for example, kicks in magnificently with vicious, rhino-fart fuzz basslines and massive, steamhammer drums setting up a springboard for the loud and frazzly guitars. It's a great intro and a fine way to introduce Benn's skyscraper-clipping vocals and by the time they get to the lyrical hook ("Pulling down the atmosphere again") you're already on their side. "This Town", too, is likeably immediate with nods to a poppier, swaggering indie sound than the rest of the album.
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However, virtually everything here would indeed satisfy a hangar-sized venue near to you. Songs like "Delight" and "Everything Is Good" feature chiming and enchanted guitars with Edge-y dynamics from Sam Jones and Dave Betts' guitars, the rhythm section supporting manfully and Benn again soaring and commanding. "Seasons", meanwhile, boasts rippling guitars, an autumnal flavour and shows Undercut can cope with slowburning ballads, while the closing "Coming Down" once again slows the tempo down and loads up on light and shade. Indeed, the only place they really come a cropper is with the pale, Police-style white reggae of "Crazy Too", which is a debatable departure, but at least stops short of terminally naff.
Besides, one flirting-with-duff set piece out of twelve ain't a bad average by anyone's high standards, so if Undercut can keep up this impressive growth they will surely be in real contention before too long. "Something To Die For" might be a bit strong if taken literally, but if renamed "Something To Sign Up For", then I'll certainly be indulging. And on the strength of these songs, I think many more of you will be investing too.
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