Argh!
It almost feels like that one word review would suffice, but it’s only fair to offer an explanation. Having spent many years at local gigs enduring the latest indie-light band regurgitating the same old bollocks with a slightly different melody, ‘argh’ is the word that springs to mind. Listening to Hail Animator’s ‘Working Just As Hard As We Can’ took me immediately to a local gig with bands I wouldn’t even try to remember.
Earnest singing combined with a far too prominent performance on the keyboard, the lead song combines the worst bits of Snow Patrol and Keane and adds an extra layer of drabness. There is a discernable tune, but it’s left me colder than the prospect of a subscription to Heat magazine. It’s a big tune that with the right production could find its’ way onto a Valentines collection for losers who only like FM radio rock.
And perhaps the production might be the main problem. This is a demo, so there are only so many expectations you can have. But hundreds of this sort of band are formed and separated every year, never reaching the hearts of anyone beyond their nearest and dearest. They can play competently, but there’s no soul. ‘Simple Yet Wise’ has potential in that it could be a dark, dramatic, multi-dimensional song if things were just a little bit different. ‘What You Did’ is far more interesting, if a little bit too pub rock. There’s definite promise hidden in there, but it only appears here in flashes in and amongst the predictable parts that dominate.
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It’s not that this band should give up, they should embrace their creative side; what is it that could turn them into something special? They appear to have the skills, just not the songs…yet.
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