Time to hold my hands up. The last time I reviewed Pictures of Shanghai I was less than complimentary. In short, the band attempted to go for some kind of indie/synth/rock crossover and ended up with a complete disaster of a CD that came across as messy and forced. However, you have to give credit where credit is due and PoS have returned with an EP showing a lot more promise. It’s far from perfect, but the rate of improvement is tremendous and full marks go to the band for heeding advice and attempting to correct the error of their ways.
Although the four songs here are on the long side – and in my opinion could probably be trimmed by a minute apiece to make them even more catchy – you’d think it was a different band on this record compared to the last. The vocal harmonies are memorable and well placed and the vocals, while Americanised, are strong and distinctive. Gone are the misplaced synths and attempts to cash in on the keyboard-wave, and in favour of this the band attempt to beef their sound up with guitars – and it works. While the choruses arguably need to be tightened up and made a little catchier, and the CD I have isn’t mastered all that well leaving everything a little low in the mix, this is a 100% improvement on the last record. If they continue to make strides as big as this, the next record could be very impressive indeed.
www.myspace.com/picturesofshanghai
paul