Believe There's Nothing By...,
Along Came ManI was initially pointed in the direction of this trio as we were putting together Punktastic Un-Scene 2 and I was mightily impressed. Signed to Mighty Atom, the Welsh threesome have already won the plaudits of many and are set to embark on a tour with Midasuno which will quite possibly get their name out further. When new EP 'There's Nothing By...' dropped on my doormat I was interested to see if the one previous song I'd heard could be matched over the course of a full EP, but I was left a little diappointed.
While this record showcases the band's melodic side, there's a bite missing which would certainly boost their score by a full star. Unfortunately my copy of the record didn't come with a tracklisting, so I shall have to go through the songs chronologically. The first two songs are perfectly nice, but they need a real kick to make them stand out. The melodies are there, but they're not as memorable as you'd like them to be. There's a little Alkaline Trio in there, but while Matt Skiba has a vocal style which demands attention, Along Came Man's Androo fails to grab my attention in the same way.
As I say, the band do what they do very well - the third track is another catchy number, while the fifth and final song is more of a slow burner but equally as good - there's something missing which would take them to the next level. Maybe the addition of an extra guitarist would beef up their sound enough to make the neccessary impact, maybe the band need to take a closer look at the choruses and make them stronger, I'm not sure. Either way, while they're on the right lines, there's something missing here which I can't quite put my finger on.
www.alongcameman.co.uk
Mighty Atom
Paul
