Melodramas are a UK indie-pop 4-piece who have been around for little over a year, and have won the prestigious Wedgewood Rooms Showcase competition. EP One is the debut release on Jelly Maid Music, a label who are putting together a fairly solid roster of bands.
Track 1 “Albert Road” starts off as typical indie-pop fair. It is pleasant enough in itself, but after about two and a half minutes it turns into a rockier number, with a whiff of the The Jam about it. This second half is better than the first.
Track 2 “Jessica” is more typically indie-pop, and although it has a very slightly reggae-tinged sound, it is a bit derivative. It is perhaps reminiscent of mid-career Stereophonics – and you can make of that what you will.
Track 3 “Kids Get Killed” is definitely the best song on this EP. It is a return to the slightly harder sound hinted at in track 1. It is distinctly British-sounding, and has the cheeky, feisty delivery of the Arctic Monkeys. For some reason, the main riff does remind this reviewer of the 60s TV series “Batman” starring Adam West as the titular hero but that is not a criticism, just an observation.
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Track 4 “Pocketwatch” is the weakest song here. It is typical by-the-numbers indie, and although it has a jaunty “oo-woo-hoo-oo” chorus, compared to the other tracks here (and on the band’s myspace page) it is weak. There is nothing to hate about it, but for this reviewer, it does nothing.
Overall then, Melodramas are a promising prospect. This EP has 1 great song, 1 good one, 1 OK song and one other. It will be interesting to see which direction the band move in next, but if they want my advice (which they probably don’t), they’re much better at the feisty songs than the typical indie-pop ones.
(http://www.myspace.com/melodramastheband)
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