In the press release The Maccabees' debut album, it says that the band now "sell out the same venues they once struggled to fill". Fair enough P.R. fodder, you might think. Think about that sentence for a moment though and it becomes clear that this is a classic example of damning with faint praise. The phrase, "struggled to fill" intimates that the band did fill those venues eventually, it was just a bit of a chore. That they're now packing out the same halls they used to, only quicker, suggests that the band haven't really moved on much from their first single release. Hell, if their own press agency can't seem to write something glowing about them, what kind of chance do I stand?
Well, there's not a lot here to praise. The riffs are sharp and angular, just the way those skinny-trousered kids like them, but beyond all the right sounds, there's not much else of any substance. Some bands can get away with just skating along on pleasant melodies and vaguely danceable rhythms, but The Maccabees are quite possibly one of the least assertive bands I've heard in quite some time. Singer, Orlando Weeks' whey-faced, faux-impassioned delivery doesn't really help, his affected quiver being a permanent turn-off.
Their best songs, like ode on a swimming baths, 'Latchmere' are spiky and memorable, but there's way too much filler here. I'm talking three good tracks out of thirteen ('About Your Dress', 'First Love' and the aforementioned) and that just isn't good enough. Sorry boys, but you'll have to try harder if you want to graduate to those bigger venues. Maybe you could go on an indie also-rans double-header with Good Shoes or something?
http://www.highvoltage.org.uk/displaydemoreview.asp?num=2673&band=823
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