Subways
(Warner Bros.)
"You're the brass key hole I fit into/ You're the wind and I am the weather vane/ You're the strawberry blonde and I'm the gray" - That beautiful sentiment comes to you courtesy of The Subways, a once-promising UK outfit who have apparently shifted target demographics and sonic gears for their latest album. The Disney-sponsored crews may have to contend with the band's "Strawberry Blonde" if America's hoards of tortured tweenagers ever latch on to "Sing a song for my lonely soul".
To be fair, the obligatory ballad sticks out as All Or Nothing's thumbs-down worst cut. Elsewhere, the band settles for merely uninspired material. Producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Sonic Youth) greases everything down a notch, adding a slick layer of polish hardly beneficial to the band's raucous reputation.
While there was nothing perfect about the band's 2006 (stateside) debut, Young For Eternity, the album had teeth and kicked like a motherfucker. Even acoustic numbers "Lines of Light" and "No Goodbyes" felt raw and visceral. No one in the trio ever had much in the way of songwriting chops, but Billy Lunn and Charlotte Cooper wailed convincingly enough for the debut to make some noise - hell, the late John Peel was an early supporter.
The grungy pop of "Kalifornia" and "Turnaround" probably deserves more airtime than anything gracing mainstream American radio these days, but it's hard to imagine Peel's onetime seal of approval gracing All Or Nothing. Still, bastardized Brit-rock is a viable import in an unstable market. The Subways may come out alright on this one. Artistically speaking though, looks like they've come up broke.
Standout Track: "Kalifornia" ZACHARY HERRMANN
