From the outside looking in, it may seem like all you need to do to get signed in Manchester is have a bit of a swagger and try and emulate a bygone era of the city's supposedly rich heritage. Granted, most of the 'famous' bands from Manchester do hold some of these traits (the Gallagher cockiness was something of a hand-me-down from Madchester and beyond), but it sometimes seems a shame that the city is represented by a limited breadth of music, when there is so much creativity residing within.
THE WHIP may do very well from history, having studied it so heavily for their debut album 'X Marks Destination.' From the opening strains of recent single 'Trash,' you have to wonder whether they have been influenced by 1989, or whether they are merely emulating it with the same cynicism that many people inform a Big Brother audition that they're at least a little bit bi. The song kicks off with a strong dance beat, and the slow introduction of the rest of the band, nice riff and the repeated vocal of 'I wanna...' heading towards the song really kicking in. With each 'I wanna,' however, you're just waiting for the words “be adored” to appear and then it's hard not to think of the Stone Roses.
This is an album that can be reviewed as a whole, with reference to specific moments – for it's all based around the same idea. Large indie-dance numbers saying fairly generic things. Frequently repeated lines that will stay in your head, and no doubt a band that XFM Manchester are going to take to giddy stratospheres over 2008.
It's like an album of remixes of Manchester bands. 'Frustration' is a Doves remix. But a ropey one. 'Fire' sounds like a remix of 'DARE' by Gorillaz feat. Shaun Ryder. But a ropey one as well. The problem with listening to album full of remixes by the same person is that they start to merge in to one and you end up just hankering after the original. The basis of these songs is that they're danceable – but these beats aren't interesting enough to retain interest over a full album. Many of the songs are needlessly long, and repetitive song after repetitive song quickly becomes, well, repetitive.
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The vocals are dreary throughout – the way people perceive Manchester to be. A little bit grim, cloudy, rainier than most places. There are too many effects being used and this computerised output seems a little soul-less. Occasionally this works – 'Trash' is a great single, and 'Sister Siam' will stick in your head quite easily. But it's not an idea that can run and run – not even on a relatively low ten tracks. When the pace slows down, like on Elbow-esque 'Sirens,' it seems less dreary and more lethargic.
It might seem easy to just reference their Manc-ness, but it is really all you can take from it. There is the potential for mass appeal, in the way that many predictable things do rather well when it comes to appealing to the mainstream. But there is so much more to Manchester than an overly celebrated history, and it would be nice to think that people will look further than this to witness a city worthy of it's musical reputation.
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