BROKEN LINKS - review added 21st May 2010
Album Review: The Fine Line Between Choice/Decay (2010)
For fans of: Alt Rock... and self indulgence
Southampton based alt-rockers Broken Links - Mark Lawrence on guitar and vocals, Lewis Betteridge on bass, and Phil Boulter on drums - already have one EP, entitled Resisting Movement And The Almost Advisory, under their belts. This second release, also (strangely) described as an EP, has 6 tracks and lasts over 40 minutes. To me, that makes this an 'album', or at least a 'mini album'.
The sound flirts freely between excellence and downbeat annoyance. These guys are clearly very tight and skilled, but there's a lot of unnecessary indulgence on The Fine Line Between Choice/Decay that takes away from the numerous good bits.
The fact they sound a bit like Coldplay in places doesn't help their cause. although the forays into the realms of Gary Newman and Depeche Mood will put emotional hooks into plenty of listeners.
Overall, the decent tracks these guys have produced on The Fine Line Between Choice/Decay are swamped by a lorry-load of frippery. These guys have something going on, but they need to lose the bullsh*t and find some focus.
Check out... Hmmm...the good bits...
Track List:
01. Reinvent
02. What Are You Waiting For?
03. Shelter Your Loss
04. Therapy Sessions In the Dark
05. Choice/Decay
06. In Your Headlights
Artist's website(s): Broken Links , MySpace
