Guitar driven power-pop / rock. Great invention. How come no-one's done it before? Oh, yeah.
At some point last year, I reviewed the debut album by Telegraphs, and was pretty glowing in my appraisal. I still think it's a great album. So what is it about ReVerbed that fails to elicit a similar response? It isn't that I dislike this sort of stuff. It doesn't even bother me all that much that it's all been done before.
Both 'Not Alone' and 'Hurricane' showcase ReVerbed's axis of male / female vocals duelling it out over a catchy chorus propelled by a solid rhythm section and some chunky overdriven guitars. Both tracks are punchy, balancing pop sensibility with rock credentials. I should be loving it, but ultimately, I'm compelled to reach the conclusion that the production lets the material down. It's not thin, but it does fall short, possessing neither professional polish or a punky lo-fi feel, leaving it in the middle ground of 'amateurish.' The fatal mistake is - as is all too common - locating the vocals too high (and too dry) in the mix, instead of bedding them in with the music. Pity really, as ReVerbed sound like they could be quite exciting - perhaps better suited to the live medium than the recorded format.
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http://www.reverbed.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/reverbed
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