Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 26/05/08
Label: Dance To The Radio

First things first: The Pigeon Detectives are still sporting one of the worst monikers a band has had the sheer effrontery to trot out in an effort to get noticed. Granted, it's not as bad as Arse Full Of Chips, Raw Poo or indeed Tommy Schitt & The Punishment Fu*kers (yes, these groups do exist) but the feeling that here is a handle that was supposed to have been changed before 2007's debut, "Wait for Me", was sent to the pressing plant remains inescapable.

On the plus side and overlooking the crap name, The Pigeon Detectives have resisted the lure of navel gazing and kicked the almost obligatory whinges concerning second album pressure firmly into touch as "Emergency" arrives just two days shy of a year since the appearance of its predecessor. Like near neighbours Arctic Monkeys, The Pigeon Detectives aren't a band happy to sit around as their backsides slowly expand like mould across a piece of discarded bread under a student's bed. No, they happily have an urgency to match their frenetic live shows. Well…up to a point.

While their prodigious work ethic is to be applauded, the variable quality here is likely to draw more cautious and selective praise. "This Is An Emergency" is an encouraging start to the album as The Pigeon Detectives' trademark snappiness springs from the traps from the get go as does the snarling "Keep On Your Dress". Owing less to the ramshackle ramalama of The Libertines and more to the spiky and skewered guitar pop of Idlewild, the Leeds quintet has, as displayed on "You Don't Need It", developed a knack for a king-sized chorus that'll do them no end of favours in a live setting.

Be that as it may, because "Emergency" soon begins to suffer from a uniformity of sound that offers little in the way of texture or variety. With Stephen Street - the high-priest of corporate indie knob twiddling - at the controls, too much emphasis is given on the sound rather than the song. So it is that "I'm A Liar" relies on the clipped cod-reggae chords that are the default setting of any number of bands for whom Doherty and Barat represent some kind of Year Zero.

Elsewhere, the lyrics raise suspicion too. For example, "Don't You Wanna Find Out"'s opening line of "They say we look pretty good together" is unbelievably lazy and one that should have Pete Townshend's lawyers reaching for the phone. Ultimately and much like the climax of their hometown football team's season, "Emergency" isn't quite the great leap that was expected but does at least carry a few optimistic signs for the future.

    by Julian Marszalek