Following on from their eight track CD 'A Balloon Called Moaning,' The Joy Formidable have delivered a seductively produced track 'Greyhounds in the Slips.'
Fully powered drums carve out a crescendo of epic proportions, leaving the guitars to compete for attention. Soft, layered vocals are arranged to give the chorus depth but over production occasionally leaves it foggy. The single features Paul Draper, former singer and guitarist of rock band Mansun, whose presence is more aesthetic than substantial, but a welcome addition nonetheless.
Resting somewhere between 'The Pixies' and 'Florence and the Machine' this band is certainly one to watch out for. The orgasmic baboon at the very end however, is quite frankly creepy.
'Touch & Feel / It Came As No Surprise' is the debut double A side from Vegas Nights. With the press release claiming the band "manages to not only cross eras but portray them with its musical sounds," I was certainly intrigued.
The influences of The Cure and The Happy Mondays are present in the structure and feel of the songs, producing a spring in the step and a pleasant smile. The hooks are catchy, the guitars are strong with driven passion and the drums bound and crash around the two tracks. The Beach Boys-style harmonies give a really joyous feel throughout, but you can certainly put too many "ooh oohs" and "ba ba ba daas" into a song and Vegas Nightsbreak that rule here.
The core of what was a really good idea has unfortunately been turned sour by the sloppy execution. The vocals are drowned in reverb that forces the listener to attempt to make out the smothered lyrics and masks any character in the singer's voice, which is a real shame. Rough edged recording and production have clouded what could have been a blistering debut, but Vegas Nights show real promise of providing a catchy pop track in the future.
After sifting through the internet for a bit of background information I almost felt like I didn't need to listen to this album. Signed to Geffen Records, written and produced by the people at Xenomania and tipped as the hottest new band around; these guys have got to be something special, right?
They claim to have "been a band before they even knew it; " a statement that is presumably meant to signify their destiny to be successful, but its hidden sentiment denotes everything that is wrong with this band. The boys are right that they were a band before they knew it themselves. They were auditioned, selected and put together in an indie band-by-numbers experiment; the manufactured band template of five same sex members - check; good looking singer with familiar yet distinctive sounding voice - check; glossy production at hit making studios - check. There is even the typical rumour of the frontman's suspected relationship with a pop starlet, here played by Alesha Dixon, It's all very predictable and contrived.
Each song on the album is exceptionally executed and no doubt will be successful, however it will all be down to Xenomania. They have crafted an interchangeable, polished product that would sound just as good if it had been written for Girls Aloud, Kylie or the Sugarbabes. Xenomania haven't in this instance sufficiently moved away from their girly pop signature sound that has been such a success in the past.
