Floods – Cold Light

By paul

Does the UK, or the world for that matter, really need another band that sounds like Floods? The answer is no, it does not. Does the world need new bands that actually sound good? Yes, it does. And therein lies the difficulty of reviewing a band like St Albans’ Floods – a sextet that sound magnificent and would be world-beaters – if they released this EP in 2002. Times change, however, and a band that show immense promise will probably get washed up in the crowd unless they refine their sound somewhat.

Let’s look at the positives. This record is well crafted, well put together and has many, many strong points. James Power’s vocals are impeccable throughout, his range equally impressive. The screaming isn’t overdone either, while the backing vocals and harmonies are pulled off to perfection. You’d never guess this was the band’s first release, nor that they’d been together for little more than six months. In terms of musicianship it shows a maturity beyond their band’s inexperience. The songs are all good for what they are, are catchy and have many good points. The tracks, taken individually, are as good as any UK band doing this kind of thing at the minute. If I was looking at signing bands for Punktastic Recordings that I knew would go places, I’d be seriously interested in Floods. I expect other labels will be interested too.

However, as a music fan and someone who has listened to thousands and thousands of bands over the years, I’ve heard this kind of thing many, many times before and while it’s done to a very high standard, there’s only so many times you can listen to the verse/chorus/verse, breakdown, scream/sing/scream formula before wanting to throw a baby in front of a train. It’s frustrating because the band are clearly talented guys, it’s almost as if they’re too lazy to go the extra mile and put something new or fresh in there. A little less You Me At 6 and a little more MewithoutYou would take this band to a whole new level, for me anyway.

It won’t take much, but 2010 could be a big, big year for Floods if they can make a few refinements to their sound.

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While She Sleeps - 'SELF HELL'

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