The Electric Soft Parade - No Need To Be Down-Hearted Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 05.04.2007
The UK’s latest import is ready to take the US indie rock scene by storm…
My Story
There are so many indie Britpop bands out there today citing Oasis and Teenage Fanclub as in influence that it should be a genre unto itself. One thing you can always say for certain about these groups is that they’ll be good for some decent pop music and they’ll burn out fast.
The Electric Soft Parade already has a leg up on the competition, seeing as how their 1) comprised of two brothers, which makes them much more like Oasis than 90% of the other indie rockers in the UK, and 2) they’ve just released their third album in 5 years, giving them some relative longevity. But will their US debut be hello or goodbye?
Their Story
The Electric Soft Parade got its beginnings in the early days of the decade, as Brighton-born brothers Tom White (drums) and Alex White (guitar/vocals) formed a band, called Feltro Media, and began self-distributing their demos to anyone who would listen. In 2001, the brothers (Still in their teens) signed to respected indie label DB Records. With the contract, the guys brought in Matthew Twaites and Stephen Large to round out the band, which was re-dubbed The Soft Parade.
Their first single, Silent To The Dark, hit shelves in April of 2001. The song, a pleasant mix of Britpop and American psychedelic rock, caught the attention of indie rock media, and a buzz began to grow around the band. In early 2002, they released their first full length, Holes In The Wall, under the new name Electric Soft Parade (thanks to threatened legal action by a Doors tribute band (and how can a TRIBUTE band own the rights to anything?)). The record, a rocked up slice of post-Britpop, made an instant impact on the indie scene, and was even nominated for 2002’s Shortlist Music Prize.
Following a long tour, ESP went back to the studio to work on a follow-up, this time for BMG Records. The result, 2003’s The American Adventure, was well-received, though much more ambitious musically than their debut. Their straight-ahead rock sound was replaced by more trippy experimentation, which critics and fans alike seemed to enjoy.
After Adventure was released, ESP once again toured, this time opening for the likes of bands ranging from Elbow to The Who. Keyboardist Stephen Large exited the band during this tour, while Matthew Priest was brought in to play drums full-time. Following another extensive tour, the White brothers took some time off to work on other projects, including a side-band called Brakes and assisting newcomers The Pipettes on their first album.
At the end of 2005, ESP released The Human Body EP on Truck Records. A short time after, the set became available in the US via Better Looking Records. It was around this time that the band made their US debut at the 2006 SXSW Festival. They returned to SXSW the next year, this time in preparation for the release of their third album, which would also be their first available in the US.
In April, the Electric Soft Parade wrapped up a 2-month US tour with Brakes, and is now supporting The Twang on a European trek.
The Album
On April 24, 2007, Better Looking Records and East West released No Need To Be Down-Hearted, the third album by The Electric Soft Parade and the follow-up to 2003’s The American Adventure. This is the first album by the band to be available in the United States.
The Band: 7.0
Alex White: acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, glockenspiel, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, vibraphone
Tom White: acoustic guitar, violin, drums, electric guitar, keyboards, Theremin, vocals, melodica
Matthew Twaites: bass, casio
Phil Summer: Cornet
The Electric Soft Parade is the core creative duo of Alex and Tom White and the other band members are sort of a revolving door. Hell, the band’s drummer for the past three years, Matthew White, doesn’t even seem to appear here! Anyway, I say that to say this: what you’re hearing here is solely the Whites’ vision. And what a vision it is.
The ESP is definitely informed by the likes of Oasis and other 90’s rockers, as that thread is very evident in their jangly rock numbers. Just as obvious is their debt to acid rock/psychedelia-type experimentation, with plenty of trippy synths and horns and all manners of noise here added as a Floydian haze around a set of far-from-basic rock numbers. And while this type of indulgence can get a little far from pleasant at times, it leaves a distinct sound for a band that is among just a few too many similar contemporaries.
I can’t say for sure if ESP’s sound is enough to land them notice on the US’s current indie rock scene, which is filled with lots of just-below-the surface, similar sounding bands like Bloc Party, Modest Mouse and Death Cab For Cutie, but their music, if given exposure, is going to appeal to fans of the genre, no doubt. This is Britpop at its best, building on a foundation of Oasis and bringing in other influences and a distinct personal style that makes things unique and interesting.
The Songs: 7.5
1. No Need To Be Down-Hearted (Part 1)
2. Life In The Back-Seat
3. Woken By A Kiss
4. If That’s The Case, Then I Don’t Know
5. Shore Song
6. Misunderstanding
7. Secrets
8. Cold World
9. Have You Ever Felt Like It’s Too Late
10. Come Back Inside
11. Appropriate Ending
12. No Need To Be Down-Hearted (Part 2)
Following a lilting, soft but still building intro, Down-Hearted really kicks in with the bouncing “Life In The Back-Seat”. The tracks is a fun indie rock tune that wouldn’t sound out of place on the radio (if the station is down with Franz Ferdinand, anyway), and it contains just enough quirky touches to keep fans from immediately crying sell-out. The disc then turns its heels with “Woken By A Kiss”, showing the bands Pink Floyd influence with a drugged-up, crawling number that sounds like the soundtrack to your weirdest good dreams.
The album continues this way, pulling out surprised here and there, but never at the breakneck speed of their previous release. In a way, Down-Hearted is very aware of its desire for commercial success, as ESP has dialed back their indulgent nature to craft better SOUNDING, tighter songs. And that’s a positive, because instead of compromise, the band has gained a direction, and that focus has led to a much brighter, driven set of songs.
Still, there’s room for exploration, especially during the album’s bookend title tracks. Thankfully, these more sonically questionable tunes are balanced by fun rockers like the piano-driven “Cold World” and the jumping, acoustic guitar pop of “Have You Ever Felt Like It’s Too Late”. This balance makes for a tight, if at times meandering, album of pure Brit-rock enjoyment.
The 411: With the release of No Need To Be Down-Hearted, The Electric Soft Parade is poised to take their success on the UK’s indie scene and translate it to the US. The album is very informed by this, as ESP has tightened up their approach and managed a Brit-pop record informed by the likes of Oasis and Pink Floyd, with a few nice singles that wouldn’t sound out of place among Bloc Party and Death Cab. Though their music isn’t quite groundbreaking, there’s enough here to make it notable, and fans just may be finding the desire to leave this CD in their players for a while.
