Go:Audio: 'Made Up Stories'
‘Go:Audio’! The intention is clear from the moment you read their name. This is going to be a record that infuses the listener with ‘hip’ rocker passion and shakes your musical world. It is a shame that this engendered excitement is quashed from about 15 seconds into their opener 'Made Up Stories'.
The initial sounds are encouraging – a hint of Brian Molko, a vaguely trembling anxiety and some restrained if suggestive riffing. But then the heart sinks and we move into the world of schmaltzy pop-punk. Even Fall Out Boy, the pioneers of such ‘smooth around the edges’ music, have never been so twee.
This first song – their title track and one of their original releases – is indicative of a genre that is justifiably marketable but begs the question: are we throwing away the values of alternative music in this day and age? As mentioned before the fractionally small comparison to Molko belies the remainder of the song. But the trembling voice lends itself to the theme of jilted boyfriend who, after nothing but support (represented by the selfless act of bringing a coat for his sweetheart because it was cold!), catches the harlot kissing another youth on the mysterious ‘floor’. It is mystifying to believe that this band was nominated for Best Newcomers at the Kerrang! Awards 2008. To even mention the tired image of the ‘dance floor’ should immediately preclude you from recognition at the country’s premier rock/metal awards show – you can imagine Lemmy throwing his bottle of JD away in disgust.
The teenage angst is firmly in place in 'Brake! Brake!' which, trying to evoke the boundless energy of the band’s name, laments life’s transience and contains such edifying sound bites as “I can hear my heartbeat melt, so drive”. Within two songs they have cemented the overarching theme of typical adolescent male existence: no-one understands us, we are left heartbroken by girls and all we wanna do is play guitar. Ditto 'She Left Me'. Ditto 'Drive to the City'. Ditto 'Woodchunk'. Ditto 'This Isn’t Hollywood'. The pattern is regrettably pretty much the same for the rest of the album with the exception of 'I’m With You'; which as a ballad is passable, despite duff lyrics such as “Tears falling down give no answer/Seems you don’t even know who you are”. The piano is a welcome interlude to the banal guitar play which had been a hallmark of the previous songs. It is in this song that front man James Matthew’s vocals release into the true sound of pop-punk.
Nowadays we lack bands that stand out and make us think of how anarchic rock, punk or more broadly, ‘alternative’ music can make us feel. It is difficult when the current market is seemingly driven by soulful females, indie/indie-folk and urban music. Being an advocate of those three genres I’m not one to complain, but I do sometimes crave for an outspoken musical revolt. What saddens me more is that if there is a dearth of this type of outfit, there are hundreds of Go:Audios that simply stack up and clog an already overfull industry.
1/5
Words: John Elmes
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