Hear The Track Here
The Empires, who I came across a while ago, are confusing me. When I reviewed You Won't Make a Fool of Me (December 2008) it was obvious that this particular side of the band was - in fact - a guy and a guitar. Not that I have anything against song demos you understand, I've heard enough of them to be able to tell what I'm hearing. You Won't Make a Fool of Me as it happens was actually a really good song. After all, there isn't really all that much you can do with a guitar and voice, unless you happen to be blessed with some unique talent. As good as You Won't Make a Fool of Me was, it wasn't unique. In my closing statements I wrote 'I'd want a bit more meat on the bones before I'd commit to anything with any certainty'.
Well, Love Is The New Black certainly helps on that score because it does sound like a band this time - the fully monty as it were. Like the first track, this one shows that The Empires do indeed know their own genre well, because fans of alternative will like this a lot. Unfortunately the track is marred somewhat by some out of tune vocals and a general wooliness of sound, especially in the louder sections. Now probably most people won't notice these things, in which case terrific, but it does qualify my enjoyment of the track which is a shame because it is a good song.
It took me a while to pin down what else was bugging me about the track but I finally decided that (only IMHO of course) the arrangement meandered a bit too much for its own good. What should have been pace and excitement turns into a leisurely stroll with a sing along chorus thrown in for good luck. If it sounds like I didn't like this track, think again, I did. I like songs like this, I just like them to work as well as they can and, personally, I think this could have been better. Still, as it is, its good enough.
Recommended Alternative
No comments:
Post a Comment