Tango In The Attic -‘Bank Place Locomotive Society.’ (Self-released)
Glenrothes five-piece have been around for a while now, and have released some really good singles over the course of the last year or so. Still unisgned, they have now unleashed their debut album, Bank Place Locomotive Society. A few listens in -and my initial thought still remains: They sound like a Scottish Vampire Weekend.
Now, that’s not meant as a criticism; I’ve really enjoyed both VW albums. I’m not the only person to have made that comparison either. There’s also a hint of Dogs Die In Hot Cars, particularly the Ska-infused XTC blueprint that they used to make their debut (and so far only released album). As to whether the band have well-played copies of Graceland and The Indestructible Beat Of Soweto…who knows? Certainly the opener ‘One Step Away’ does make you think you could be listening to one of them.
The tracks that have seen the light of day so far as singles ‘Jackanory’ ‘Blunderground’ and ‘Seven Second Stare’ are probably the strongest here, though I’d also nominate ‘Sketch by Quention Blake’ and ‘Off To.’ None of the tracks here are weak, and it’s a promising debut, with some great tunes -and I’ll doubtless be playing some of this on my radio show. What I’d like to see from their next album is them developing their own sound a little further, and wearing their influences on their sleeves a little less!
***1/2
Bank Place Locomotive Society is out now.
Tango In The Attic -‘Off To.’ mp3