I suppose in an attempt to prove that Punktastic isn’t actually all that punk, here’s Roy, an indie alt-country band that isn’t fantastic. I’m going to admit right now that this genre isn’t one of my favourites, since I like my songs to have some kind of direction whether they’re fast or slow, and I really find my patience tested with overblown, repetitive songs without a single redeeming feature.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what ‘Big City…’ is. While ‘Something That’s Real’ has a real sense of momentum and energy, Roy seem content to throw the same melodies back into the mix over and over again, without any kind of progression or innovation. ‘Darryl Worley Forgotten’ is simply dull, a song devoid of character and totally floundering in a world where jangly country music is still important to someone, somewhere. I don’t usually dismiss this form of acoustic music – Mike Park‘s recent release, as well as the mighty Dispatch and Bright Eyes are all personal favourites – but when there is no cogent direction to any of the songs, leaving them meandering and boring, I fail to see the point.
‘Prescription Drugs’ is nicely low-key, even if it is a minute too long, and ‘Rebel Hymn’ moves at a faster pace than the rest of the album, bringing with it a sense of hope – if only the melody wasn’t so annoying and the lyrics so lazy. ‘The Power And The Perception’ dies under it’s own weight of similar-sounding riffs, as does ‘Anytime Now.’ At this point I’m wondering what the point of carrying on with the review is – all the songs are boringly repetitive, using the same template without fail: quiet riff [enter drums] whining vocals [repeat riff a bit louder] repeat to fade.
I’m sure if you like this sort of thing ‘Big City…’ is a quite agreeable album. But I simply cannot stomach any more self-indulgent songs, which go round in so many circles that by the end of the album you’re trying to remember a single memorable part (apart from the ending itself).
Ben
www.roytheband.com