Major disappointments are around us everywhere in modern day society – for example, i’ve never won the lottery, and a piano didn’t land on Dan when he was younger. Another one is a band hyped up so much by other people you’re inclined to spend £13 on it, and end up wishing you’d used the money to start a flea circus. I think you can see where this is going.
You see, the problem is the promise ring need to, in my opinion, change their lead singer. His voice annoys me more than Morecombe and Wise re-runs. Which is a shame, because some of the melodies are actually quite good. ‘Everywhere in Denver’ is the first track, starting well, and then, oh dear, the vocals begin and you shudder. Why oh why doesn’t a) the singer fucking speak up or b) the engineers turn his mic up. One of the two, but then the disappointment doesn’t stop there. You see, the problem is that he actually can’t hold a note, and as such sounds terrible as well as muted.
I’m not going to describe each song in turn. Basically it would be a waste of my time and yours. However, all is not lost due to tracks such as ‘The Sea of Cortez’, ‘A Picture Postcard’, which builds nicely and ‘Somebody’s Done For’ which is a good tune to sit back and relax too. This goes with the whole CD, a disc that you would put on purely as background music and not in anyway to listen to intently. So there it is, but is it worth my (or your) money? in a word, no.
It could actually have been a great album had there been a strong voice in front of the guitars. But there isn’t and as such it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. If anyone would like to debate (note debate – not argue) this with me then feel free to mail me. Otherwise, my original viewpoint stands. One things for sure, I won’t be investing in the promise ring in a long time.
nick