MARGATE - review added 17th November 2009
Album Review: On The Other Side (2009)
For fans of: Pop Rock... and coastal towns in the UK
L.A. pop rockers Margate, seemingly named after the Kentish coastal town in the U.K., were formed in 2003 and have been steadily working on increasing their fanbase ever since. They have played many of the west coast city's big clubs including the Viper Room, House Of Blues and Hard Rock Cafe. They were even house band on a comedy sketch show.
The band - Alex on drums and lead vocals, Doug on guitar and backing vocals, Steve on bass and backing vocals - released their first album, Songs In The Key Of Awesome, in 2006. On The Other Side is the band's 2nd studio release and carries on where the previous LP finished, albeit with a more melodious, less gritty punk sound.
The style is still punk-tinged in places, but it's a more poppy take on that vibe. Imagine a sound somewhere between Bowling For Soup, Jimmy Eat World and, er, Miley Cyrus. Some of the tracks really are very teen-accessible and don't do a lot for me. 'A New Hope' is as chart friendly and safe as a cute puppy wearing a muzzle. Fortunately the majority of the album has a bit of oomph beneath the surface and belts along with purpose.
Top tracks include 'Time & Time Again' (which was actually featured in an admittedly obscure film called George's Intervention), the slower but strangely catchy 'Saved It', the mid paced, bouncy, Manic Street Preachers sounding 'It Is What It Is' and the frantic 'Circles'.
On The Other Side is not necessarily that original and not really my thing. However, saying that, it's well performed - with special mention of Alex and his character-filled voice - and there are plenty of people who are going to love this. If you dig the artists mentioned above, I really do recommend you check this out. It perhaps doesn't reach the standard of the bands that consistently raid the charts, but it's a lot closer than you might imagine.
Check out... The overall friendly vibe of the album.
CD Track List:
01. In My Life
02. Time & Time Again
03. Saved It
04. Believe In Steve
05. It Is What It Is
06. A New Hope
07. Circles
08. Unchecked Aggression
09. My Dog Duke
10. On The Other Side
Label: Artist's website(s): Margate , MySpace
