So Much Unfulfilled Promise
They say that you know whether you like someone within the first 30 seconds of meeting them; music follows a similar rule, you know if it's taking you on the journey of a lifetime or the sonic equivalent of a car crash. With New Rhodes this instant impression is harder to find, my first reaction is to pick out all the influences I find and muse over whether I like the Morrissey-aping tunes as a fan of the great man himself, several plays later and I still can't make up my mind, which leads me to believe that perhaps the album is just too average to make an impression.
Opener, 'You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back' is a mixture of The Killers' bright songwriting and Morrissey's vocal style in a blustery 4 minute package, while sadly lacking the gusto of either
Personal highlights are, 'When We Were Young', no relation to the similarly named Killers' track, but a cool mix of twinkly guitars and a chorus that oozes with guitar frills and driving beats and 'A Different Time', a pensive flow of deep vocals over simple rippling chords and strings; it's refreshing to escape the overused barrage of major chords and in this number we find the solace of genuine emotion. 'She Said No' is another catchy number, mostly down to its blazing guitarwork which really gets under your skin.
There are expansive numbers with lots of potential like, 'One Of These Days', but these tend to wash over you a bit, lacking anything that either annoys or endears the listener. Sunny, jangly guitars, lilting lyrics and an effortlessly breezy vibe underlie most of the tracks, with images of Cherryfalls softer numbers coming to mind. "We all lose the will to try, when nothing happens", muses 'Cowardice' and this statement applies very aptly to the album's lack of progression.
New Rhodes skirt the edge of greatness throughout this album, earnest and touching lyrics and deep, musing vocals could be a catch, but they just don't take enough risks to move the listener and show their true hearts. New Rhodes, if you want someone to love you, you have to bare your soul and open up to the risk you might just do something the majority hate, but if the minority love it, it's a hit!