I've heard many good things about Manchester's No One Lost over the last six months or so and have been recommended them by many other Manc bands in that period. For some, NOL are probably the brightest talent the city has, even though they're not one of the bands signed out of the city during 2004. Their latest demo, a three-tracker, landed on my doormat a few months back and for one reason or another has been near, or in, the stereo throughout that period. There's no doubt the strains of an early The Get Up Kids sound can be heard, especially during opener 'Make Do And Mend' and it's this sound which is arguably when NOL sound at their best. By no means are they the finished article, on this showing anyway, but there's promise here to suggest the many people who rate them highly could well be right.
What does detract the listening pleasure a tad is the production, which while a little tinny isn't mixed as well as it could be. At times this means the basslines and guitars become a little muddy and the vocals are perhaps not as clean as I would like - but that's probably only so prevalent because the songs are very good and I'm clutching at straws to make this review balanced with positive and negative points. No One Lost's sound is based around driving guitars and uplifting melodies, with vocals that do have a similar passing to Matt Pryor at times, especially during his 'Four Minute Mile' phase. The song structures are solid throughout the trio of tracks, although 'Aware Of Approach/Reaction' loses its way a little because the vocal melodies aren't as strong as they could be. That's not a criticism of the singer, or his style, just that I feel No One Lost are more than capable of keeping the structures so you can sing along. Perhaps I'm taking The Get Up Kids comparisons a little too far!
It's not always easy to gauge a band on just three songs, but there's clearly talent here and hopefully No One Lost can go on and make an impact. I think it's a little too soon to be throwing around statements such as the UK's best unsigned band (as I heard one person say not long back), but I shall certainly be keeping very close tabs on what the band do next. Ones to watch, there's no doubt about that...
www.noonelost.com
Paul
