I’ve had this album on advance for months and for some stupid reason it’s taken me this long to review. In a way it’s good timing I’ve waited until now because the band have just signed to Open Fire Records and this cd will soon be available for commercial release. That’s good news for you, the music buyer, because although you may not know it yet, Poindexter are fucking brilliant. ‘The Unbearable Darkness Of Being’, named on the back of a Punktastic competition, builds on the band’s last two EPs and shows all of the promise they’ve been threatening to put out. In short, their Rufio meets Brand New brand of pop-punk should be blaring out of your speakers sooner rather than later.
At 37 minutes long the band themselves describe it as a “chunky monkey”, but there aren’t too many parts where the songs outstay their welcome. ‘Don’t Tell Me The Truth About Love’ sets the tone for the album really, fast pop-punk with lead guitar riffs playing out of the speakers. Lyrically the band talk about girls, a lot, but the songs are good so they don’t lose marks there. One thing Poindexter have in abundance is an ear for a melody – some of the songs here put their more famous American counterparts to shame. The chorus to ‘Identikit’ is just one note too high, but the aggressive nature of the vocals make the song a keeper. Bordering on post-hardcore style screaming, but with plenty of harmonies and all round melodic goodness, Poindexter evidently write songs that burrow deeply and hang around the cranial area. ‘Breathless’ is an old song which featured on the ‘Would Like To Meet’ EP, but this new version is by far the best. It’s a good old fashioned pop-punk song anyway. Although at face value the lyrics hint at the usual boy-girl emo thing, the song is actually about the film ‘Amelie’ and the main actress, Audrey Tautou. The song itself is even named after the seminal French flick ‘A tout de souffle’. Poindexter – smarter than your average bear.
‘The Sure Thing’ is an old song too but really should be on all your late summer mix tapes. It’s fast, furious, and lyrically generic, but it’s brilliant and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The vocal melody is fantastic and the harmonies add so much to the song. Oh, and the chorus is massive. If I was a label I’d have signed them on the back of this one song. But that’s probably why I don’t run a label…nonetheless, if the only thing you do today is check out this track, you’ll be hooked in by Poindexter‘s cheeky charm and appeal. ‘Ghost In The Shell’ is a pearler too, even if the line “your unheaving bosom tells me you didn’t feel the same way” sticks out like a sore thumb. Still, if this is a band still finding their feet and sound, the potential is massive.
‘The Smell Of Your Dying Flesh’ has been available for download for quite some time but isn’t really the best reflection of how good Poindexter are. It’s the track which most sounds like Brand New, an obvious massive influence, but it loses the charm and appeal which makes some of the other tracks so good. Still, as a curveball it keeps things fresh. The finale of ‘A Plague On Both Your Houses!’ also shows there is more to Poindexter than what appears on the surface. A track which appears to condemn the punk scene and its supporters, the song actually condemns the people who split bands into genres and the people who divide the scene rather than act with any cohesion. It’s tricky to explain, I just suggest listening in because it’s a clever piece of music that demands attention. The tracks are written by Chris or Gary, giving the album a different feel through the different songwriting methods. A final note too for all bands who send their demos to Punktastic – Popindexter sent a two sided A4 handwritten sheet carefully talking about the band and their songs, as well as a sheet of all their lyrics. This kind of effort and care does not go amiss and it actually makes us want to listen even more. If this is reflective of their work ethic in general, they’ll go far.
Poindexter could be biggish news if they get a lucky break. They are not reinventing the wheel at all, but in terms of catchy melodic pop-punk this record propels them into the lower reaches of the UK Premier League. I have a feeling we may well be hearing a lot more of this bunch in the near future. You heard it here first.
www.poindexter.org.uk
Paul