ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Burn the Negative
HOW TO WEIGH THE HUMAN SOUL GUNG-HO! RECORDINGS 30.8.10 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
How to Weigh the Human Soul is the second album from these nu-wave, electro-popsters. The album is a ‘concept’ album (apparently), with the title referencing the theory that the human body loses 21 grams upon death, thereby begging the question ‘is this the weight of the human soul’? Now maybe I am stupid, but I didn’t find myself asking that or thinking too profoundly whilst listening to the album. Ah well... The band are Mark Baker on vocals, synths and guitar; Gareth Milburn on bass and synths; Lee Smith in guitar and backing vocals; and new member Paulo Di Liberto on synths and programming. Programming?? Yep, like many of the acts nowadays, Burn the Negative combine traditional guitars with digitised beats and synths and do so far better than some of the artists I have reviewed recently. Hurrah! Some tracks I loved, others I felt completely indifferent towards. ‘Never Again’ was a favourite, with its driving bassline and simple hook that leads into a pulsating chorus. I found ‘Bleeding Out’ irritatingly repetitive but loved the acerbic guitar sound of ‘Smash and Grab’. The album lacks variety and is rather generic throughout. I like the guitars, I like the vocals but not a massive fan of the lyrics, hell, I even like the synths. The problem is that although they do combine all of these together far better than other acts, there is still something missing. I can’t write the album off entirely as there are some really good tracks – I just wish there were more of them. burnthenegative.co.uk |
