Semifinalists - 2 (V2)

What's most enjoyable about their music is the overall sound - they can get away in some songs without a memorable melody, because the textures are all beautifully achieved. When all three vocalists blend in together they complement each other extremely well, and the subtle orchestration, often reined in to quell more cinematic pretensions, makes for a pleasing and seductive sound picture.

Unfortunately that's not always enough, and it's difficult to ignore the notion that the band get through the second half of this album rather too easily. Not to accuse them of complacency, you understand, but the melodies start to wind in unexpected directions, while the lyrical inspiration becomes less frequent.

It's therefore best to focus on the passages where the band nail it, and the sighing synthesizers of Last Pretending drape a beautiful melancholia over the big, intentionally clumsy beat. Opening song Our Body, too, has a palpable sense of occasion, especially when the guitars return towards the end.

At times you get the feeling the trio are curbing instincts to make a lot more noise, and this works well as it introduces a certain tension into some of their songs. Odd Situation, for instance, has a nice set of vocal harmonies and keeps its backing in check. The richly textured viola line that comes into the chorus of Alphabet, meanwhile, is beautifully poised and more than a little exotic.

The only trouble with ‘2' is that repeated hearings still don't bring forward enough distinctive melodies - though they do highlight the band's attention to detail, their subtly danceable beats and occasionally unusual instrumentation. It would be wrong to say their music is riff based, though, and the feeling remains it could have done better with a hook or two more to latch on to.

Don't let that put you off, though, if you're a sucker for that breezy summer album. Just don't expect too many fireworks - the joy is in the detail.

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