Saturday, March 18, 2006

The More I Settle Down...

Breaks Co-op – The Sound Inside

I saw these guys at Southern Amp late last year and really enjoyed their gig. Then I bought their first album Roofers and very nearly died of boredom. Since eight years passed between the releases of Roofers and The Sound Inside I was hoping it would be more similar to their recent live show.

And I do like The Sound Inside a lot better. At it's core it's the same easy listening hip-hop for old people as their earlier record , but they've given the proceedings some more life with the inclusion of a new cast member who does some actual singing and acoustic guitar playing. It gives their music a more 'rootsy' feel. The first track 'The Sound Inside' is really good, and I know saying this will cost me like 1000 metal points, but I really like their big single 'The Other-side' as well.

Unfortunately after a strong start the album starts to decline fairly rapidly. It never gets as boring as Roofers but after a few songs it all starts to sound the same. While they're good at picking a nice, catchy riff or sample to base a song around, they never really develop any of them so it's just one gentle relaxing repeated refrain for five minutes, followed by another. Perfect for old people who need some inoffensive background music for a dinner party, or for a sunny afternoon outdoor concert, but not a satisfying listening experience on its own.

2 comments:

Ed said...

Metal points can only be made back by becoming one with your wang.

Go now, as you have much work to do.

Jon said...

Don't worry I need little encouragement. I almost never stop thinking about my wang.