Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 06/02/06
Label: Loog Records

Here's a word The Open will soon get tired of hearing: Editors. When Steve Bayley and his merry band of cosmic Scousers first appeared on our radars in 2003, few were in the mood for questing raincoat-rock played by men in tight jackets who constantly stared at the ceiling. A year later, Editors hove into view offering something fairly similar - but with better looks and added hooks - and the world sat up, took notice and asked where they bought their shoes. Bayley must be very jealous indeed.

Still, his Polydor-funded label have at least given him a second series, and the opening track on "Statues" is by itself enough to justify that decision. After a delicate, jazzy intro, "Forever" builds into a hypnotic, widescreen epic awash with woozy effects, yearning vocals and disquietingly tense, militaristic beats. But is the depth and quality of "Forever" representative of "Statues" as a whole? Sadly, not quite.

See, here's another word that should haunt The Open: Engineers. Bayley's mob has a worrying amount in common with those underachieving space-rockers from Wigan. Both bands trade in sweeping, big-picture psych-rock that regularly succeeds in being dreamy, mesmerising and tripped out, but always fails to really catch fire - on record, at least. As a consequence of the so-near-but-yet-so-far frustration Engineers' releases induce, they seem destined to remain the preserve of a small cult following, and a similar fate almost certainly awaits The Open.

Sure, "Statues" has its moments - recent single "We Can Never Say Goodbye", for example, offers an unexpectedly anthemic chorus - but far too much of it drifts by in a vague, samey blur of dreamy sonics and inane lyrics. "Moment In Time" typifies much of the album: built around endless repetition of an ultimately meaningless phrase, it evokes Bloc Party's "So Here We Are" by spending its entire duration promising to do something interesting - but failing to deliver.

Though reportedly inspired by Bayley's break-up with a girlfriend, "Statues" nonetheless seems lacking in emotional depth: rather than communicating heartbreak or turmoil, it offers only a vaporous air of wistfulness. Showcasing their musicianship instead appears to be The Open's priority, and while there's no disputing that "Statues" is a beautifully crafted, assured record that's consistently easy on the ears and at times worthy luxuriating in, its ultimate downfall is the lack of soul in its grooves.

Some more words that should haunt The Open? "Middle", "of", "the" and "road"...

    by Niall O'Keeffe