Posted on: July 25, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Electric Soft Parade – No Need To Be Down-Hearted / 2007 Better Looking / 12 Tracks /http://www.electricsoftparade.com /

The Electric Soft Parade plays a very soft, looking-back style of rock during their “No Need To Be Down-Hearted”. This is moderated by the inclusion of a nineties alternative sensibility and a current electronic fuzz that makes a song like “Life in the Backseat” approachable by all. The band moves from the lighter sounds of “Like in the Backseat” to something that blends a darker style with something that is more carnival-esque. The dreamy vocals are changed slightly, from the earlier track to something strung-out and definitely Scott Weiland-esque.

“If That’s The Case, I Don’t Know You” brings the electronic sound of “Like in the Back-Seat” back, but as a fuzz and crunchy sound to points during the track. The only thing that I would change about this track is a slower return back to normal. I understand that The Electric Soft-Parade want o go and make a cohesive album with “No Need To Be Down-Hearted”, but the track could be an energetic, kick-ass and take prisoner track but it languishes as a Frankenstein’s monster like track. The extended length of this track is another weak part of the band’s output; there is just not enough present here to maintain listeners’ interests for all of five minutes. If the band would cut the track to a more normal runtime, the result would be much stronger as a result.

The band is much stronger as well when they decide to approach one style, and let the track organically grow. This is the case during “Shore Song”, and the sedate sound of the flittering guitars and the dreamy vocals combine to make an interesting and detailed track. The second “half” of this track, “Surfacing” is much more sedate song when compared to “Shore Song”, and it allows the band to go forth and really show their prowess on the instruments. The band seems to fit into the general indie scheme, and while they are not as immediately catchy as Death Cab For Cutie, there are some stand-out tracks during “No Need TO Be Down-Hearted”. The band has problems knowing when to cut off a song, but this is not a major issue as for the most part, the act can go and really make the most out of extended tracks. Check out this band’s output with their next few albums, and any fan of indie music will most definitely be impressed with their subsequent work.

Top Tracks: Cold World, Secrets

Rating: 5.8/10

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