Promising Helsinki indie quintet BRIGHTBOY have been honing their well-drilled sounds since the tail end of 2004 and have been responsible for the sort of Chinese whispers we usually refer to as a ‘buzz’ in their native Finland over the past 12 months or so, mostly since the release of this: their debut album ‘Love For The Streets’ in the summer of 2006.
And, initially at least, it’s not hard to see (and hear) why as the first few tracks suggest we’re on to something pretty good. Opener ‘Wear Out The Soles’ makes it clear that the lads feel they’re in contention (“I wanna go where the action is” is the opening line) and by the time they’re swishing through the memorable chorus (“Wear out the soles of my dancing shoes/ I’ve made a list of the things I wanna do”) their Killers-meets-Cure-meets-Duran Duran sound is making itself comfortable in your living room.
The next couple of tracks, ‘Dead City Jam’ and ‘Vanity Fair’ suggest this may not be such a bad thing either. OK, the hi-hat-ridin’ indie disco beats and synths straight outta ‘Hot Fuss’ of the former are predictable, but the track has plenty of swagger of its’ own and the vacuous-celebrity commentary of the superficially bright and bouncy ‘Vanity Fair’ with its’ cynical kiss-off line (“I will turn my soul into profit”) is beautifully observed.
Things initially threaten to turn a little TOO familiar with ‘My Curfew’, though Anti Westmann’s breathy, soft-focus vocals and a sneakily classic Italo-house piano riff half way through lift it from the mire and the darker, but still punchily anthemic ‘Heart So Cold’ continues the recovery, showing that Brightboy could easily breathe some stadium air if this is their wont. And I think it may well be, if we’re all being honest.
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I’m less than convinced by the second half of the album, though. By the time tunes like ‘Leave’ and ‘Yeah Yeah No No’ roll around, the all-encompassing 1980s-writ-large synths are becoming too sickly for their own good and the choppy chords and Killers-lite approach is simply sounding predictable. A fact that is cemented by the time they wheel out the indie-Motown licks of the overtly-ambitious ‘This Town (Is Getting Small for Me)’, where the clichés (however well-executed) are merely telegraphed.
The final strait puts up some resistance with the light and shade of ‘1989’ and the closing ‘Signs’, where a power play of a chorus, Eero Alasuutari’s dextrous drumming and a charismatic vocal from Westmann continually tantalise and make you realise how good Brightboy might yet be if they have the courage to stride out from the well-trodden indie path in the future.
So, ultimately this writer’s personal jury’s still out on Brightboy. ‘Love For The Streets’ is a well-produced, professionally-executed album which will probably ensure its’ creators at least get within beckoning distance of those elusive 15 minutes of fame we’re all allegedly due at some stage. As to whether their name will continue to spark up the neon lights indefinitely remains to be seen, though.
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