EDIT. Here you go. http://www.electric-banana.co.uk/reviews/album-reviews/the-courteeners-anna/
What’s this?
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Take this clichéd philosophy with you when you first listen to Anna, The Courteeners’ first LP since Falcon in 2010. Anna is certainly a grower, but never becomes fully grown.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Take this clichéd philosophy with you when you first listen to Anna, The Courteeners’ first LP since Falcon in 2010. Anna is certainly a grower, but never becomes fully grown.
And what’s it like?
Bands don’t make their money from selling records anymore. It’s all about playing live to paying customers, and regardless of whether or not that’s a good thing, Liam Fray and his Mancunian band-mates know it. As a result, Anna is full of – and boy do I mean full of – bog-standard live tricks. The classic choral ‘woah-oh-oh’, fast becoming the tackiest and most overused construct in indie pop, features in almost every single song. It’s as if Fray is constantly falling down a never-ending water slide, forcing us to have as much fun as he is. Is it the audible mark of a lack of imagination? “Just fill this gap here with some vowels, crowds love that”. Or do The Courteeners’ just know where their pay check comes from?
Bands don’t make their money from selling records anymore. It’s all about playing live to paying customers, and regardless of whether or not that’s a good thing, Liam Fray and his Mancunian band-mates know it. As a result, Anna is full of – and boy do I mean full of – bog-standard live tricks. The classic choral ‘woah-oh-oh’, fast becoming the tackiest and most overused construct in indie pop, features in almost every single song. It’s as if Fray is constantly falling down a never-ending water slide, forcing us to have as much fun as he is. Is it the audible mark of a lack of imagination? “Just fill this gap here with some vowels, crowds love that”. Or do The Courteeners’ just know where their pay check comes from?
Synths
make an appearance on ‘Lose Control’, a single recalling the 80s tinged
gloom-pop of White Lies. ‘Money’ may well
be the next single with its foot-tapping drums and Black Keys-esque blues
grooves. Choruses have always been a strength of Fray’s, and he doesn’t
disappoint here, ‘Van Der Graaff’ and ‘Are You In Love With a Notion?’ being the
highlights. Of course, throughout the positives, you have to contend with more
‘woah-oh-oh’s’. The lyric scribblings
for ‘When You Want Something You Can’t Have’ probably contain a part reading:
“<insert clap-along here>”. These shambolically generic live tricks
detract from some undeniably catchy melody-making, though in places even these
feel lazy and bland.
Inconsistency
is the word of the day with lyrics, too. Anna
recalls the familiar themes of love, loss and bitterness, with varying success:
“I’m lying here wrestling demons in my
bed” contrasts with the awkwardly forced “you told Deborah that she was the one/You’re gonna quit Debenhams and
up and get married in the sun”. Fray once opined, “I’ve never returned a cliché before/And I’ll probably never do so”,
but Anna is driven by stock phrases
lacking any personal resonance.
What’s the
tracklisting?
1. Are You In Love With A Notion?
2. Lose Control
3. Van Der Graaff
4. Push Yourself
5. When You Want Something You Can't Have
6. Welcome To The Rave
7. Save Rosemary In Time
8. Sharks Are Circling
9. Marquee
10. Money
11. Here Come The Young Men
1. Are You In Love With A Notion?
2. Lose Control
3. Van Der Graaff
4. Push Yourself
5. When You Want Something You Can't Have
6. Welcome To The Rave
7. Save Rosemary In Time
8. Sharks Are Circling
9. Marquee
10. Money
11. Here Come The Young Men
Can you listen to
anything now?
First single ‘Lose Control’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPCUUfZSO9A
First single ‘Lose Control’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPCUUfZSO9A
What’s the final
verdict?
Sure, it’s not a patch on St. Jude, but fans will love it, and live audiences will lap it up. In truth, initial contempt soon gave way to a realisation that Anna is just harmless fun, and it should be treated as such. Surrender your critical eye and have fun with Anna. Just be prepared to be force-fed clap-prompts and woah-oh-oh’s. So many woah-oh-oh’s. Just, so many.
Sure, it’s not a patch on St. Jude, but fans will love it, and live audiences will lap it up. In truth, initial contempt soon gave way to a realisation that Anna is just harmless fun, and it should be treated as such. Surrender your critical eye and have fun with Anna. Just be prepared to be force-fed clap-prompts and woah-oh-oh’s. So many woah-oh-oh’s. Just, so many.
3 stars.
Simon Hiblen.
No comments:
Post a Comment