When I reviewed the last Stanxa record about a year ago, I wasn’t overly complimentary. To me they sounded like a band that had influences from bands like The Smiths and had tried to give them a modern emo makeover. Plus they had a vocalist who, damn good in his own right, just didn’t suit the music his band played. New three-tracker ‘Postcards From The Sky’ is a big improvement. For starters the artwork is nothing short of gorgeous and that really made me want to listen to this CD. But take a closer listen and you’ll realise that Stanxa are a very talented bunch – even if some of the issues I had previously remain.
18-year-old Tom Lennard has a great voice, of that I have no doubt at all. But I’m not too sure if his Ian Curtis or Morrisey influenced warbling quite suits the emo-rock his band play. On opening track ‘Postcards From The Sky’ it doesn’t sound too out of place – the guitars are clever and inventive and the vocal melodies fit quite nicely round the drums and basslines. So far, so good. ‘Four by Four by (4x4x)’ is quite impressive too as the guitars collide and there’s a little The Next Autumn Soundtrack mixed in there too, as the guitars mix between the beautifully crisp and the heavy. Tom’s vocals work well at times too, but when the music gets heavy I wish he’d let his hair down a bit and really go for it – yes he does have a breathy, almost classical style, but I’d love him to break out a little. There’s supposed to be emotion and feeling; I’m supposed to believe in what he’s saying. But I don’t quite feel as emotionally torn as I should do – and ultimately that is what makes Stanxa a good, rather than great, band.
This is a vast improvement on the last CD, but I still feel the vocals don’t quite suit the music the band want to play. I’m all for people being themselves and not forcing a sound, and for this they should be commended, but Stanxa have the ability to take things on further and it would be sad to see them miss out because their music doesn’t hit the high standards it could quite easily make.
www.stanxa.co.uk
Paul