The Wombats: A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation
The Wombats release their all-encompassing debut this week.
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Monday, 05, Nov 2007 02:17
14th Floor, out November 5th, 2007.
In a nutshell…
Liverpool indiekids' captivating debut
What's it all about?
Scouse indie boys the Wombats enter a crowded marketplace with their rather pompously-titled debut. Despite their immense promise, it gets off to shocking start with the sub-Futureheads dreck of Tales of Girls, Boys & Marsupials, managing to irritate in just over a minute by shooting for quirky and endearing and hitting tiresome and interminable. Order is thankfully restored with stomping single Kill the Director, its sublime Cure-esque harmonies and admirably early 80s production setting down a marker of hook-laden, hand-on-heart indie gold.
The lilting guitar and swirling melodies of Moving to New York are only let down by a middle eight loss of momentum, while Lost in the Post smacks of a less accomplished version of Kill the Director, joyously remedied by a brilliantly bizarre refrain of "Go to Santa/Go to Santa/Go, go, go". Matt Murphy's enjoyably smart-arsed lyrics are at their best in the otherwise forgettable Party in a Forest and School Uniforms while Here Comes the Anxiety reveals a truly deft touch for self-aware songwriting, managing to steer clear of cloying self-pity and instead establishing itself as an accomplished 21st century look at juggling commitment-phobia with adulthood and past pain. He might stress "this is the darkest song" he's ever written; it's certainly one of the best.
And then there's the utter irresistible wonder of Let's Dance to Joy Division, with Murphy's intelligent introspection giving the air of a less smug Franz Ferdinand. With the unexpected and grin-inducing entrance of the children's choir backing a referential refrain, it's elevated from a snakebite-and-black indie club favourite to a singularly wonderful genre classic.
But after such a euphoric high, it'd be tough for even the most experienced of bands to recover and for a new band, it's clearly an insurmountable obstacle. Though Backfire at the Disco's subject matter is painfully easy to relate to and they mine beautiful Death Cab harmonies in Little Miss Pipedream, there's a definite sense of winding down as the album nears a slightly underwhelming and aimless close.
Who's it by?
After meeting at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, Matt Murphy and Dan Haggis kicked off their career with gigs at the Cavern Club before nabbing bassist Tore Overland Knudsen from a raft of other bands. A set of successful support slots with Kaiser Chiefs and Babyshambles saw them signed to 14th Floor Records, and after fourth single Kill the Director hit number 35 in June 2007 – now receiving regular rotation on BBC1's Football Focus – a slot in the UK indie firmament was assured.
As an example...
"So with the angst of a teenage band/Here's another song about a gender I'll never understand." – Kill the Director
"I could see your interest wane, my dear/She wanted Mary Poppins and I took her to King Lear." – Lost in the Post
"Let the love tear us apart/I've found a cure for a broken heart/Let it tear us apart." – Let's Dance to Joy Division
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
With Razorlight and Franz Ferdinand struggling to translate British success across the Atlantic, it's unlikely a debut with such a defiantly English, frequently tongue-in-cheek tone could dent the US charts. But it's likely to mount a strong challenge in 2008 best newcomer categories while the catchy choruses of Kill the Director and Let's Dance to Joy Division merit inclusion in best single nominees' lists.
What the others say
"As hook-heavy celebrations of sordid romantic misadventures go, A Guide To' is up there with the sparkliest Pulp or the fruitiest Franz Ferdinand. They're 2007's greatest indie pop distraction; deny them at your detriment." – NME
"Latest single Let's Dance to Joy Division is one of the catchiest songs released this year and Kill the Director forces anyone listening to jump on the nearest lamppost and wail with delight. However, caution must remain. The Wombats need to keep an air of aggression if they don't wish to become extinct." – BBC Music
So is it any good?
Though the "ooo-ooohs" are overdone and a firmly established song structure emerges early on, Murphy's got a wonderful ear for a memorable melody, and his commendably honest self-aware lyrics captivate throughout.
His debt to the Cure's Robert Smith is overwhelmingly evident, not just vocally but in a determinedly honest strain of lyricism, but while it cloys at times - notably on the "this is not my scene, I should not be here" wail of Party in a Forest - it rarely fails to provide sprightly indie pop, with instant singalongs and overpowering exuberance.
It's an extremely impressive debut laden with potential – whether that promise will be realised remains entirely in their Wombat hands.
7/10
Lewis Bazley