The Maccabees: Colour It In (reissue)

Wednesday, 16 Jan 2008 12:14

Toothpaste Kisses and punchy punk from the Maccabees.

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Fiction, out now.

In a nutshell…

Spiky indie-punk with passion.

What's it all about?

Hot on the heels of current single Toothpaste Kisses comes the re-issue of Colour It In, the band's debut album, bolstered with six bonus songs and a new version of the aforementioned track.

Who's it by

Since exploding onto the British music scene in 2005, the Maccabees have earned themselves the title of being one of the hardest working bands around, and the lads have set their sights on conquering 2008.

Current single Toothpaste Kisses is featured in the TV advert for Samsung's G800 phone handset.

As an example…

"Latchmere's got a wave machine." – Latchmere

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

To be honest, one can't imagine the Maccabees being bothered one way or another about that event.

What the others say

"Excellent." – Uncut

"A major UK talent." – The Fly

So is it any good?

That's a resounding yes! The Maccabees simply blow everyone else out of the water. You can keep your over-rated Editors and lacklustre Arctic Monkeys. This band possesses the punchiness of The Who and evoke the spirit of '76 suffused with Antony And The Johnsons-style vulnerability, lashings of emotion and quirky humour.

Each track burns with sizzling vocals and guitars from the opener Good Old Bill; the moving All In Your Rows; the English eccentricity of Latchmere; Toothpaste Kisses' infectiousness and the scalding intensity of Diamond Solitaire.

No song outstays its welcome with the shortest, Diamond Solitaire, clocking in at a mere 45 seconds but what a stunning blast of punk and Phil Spector you get in that short time. One of the longer tracks, Just Like The Rain, is a masterclass in yearning with emotive echoes of The Doors. The album exudes an honesty that is a grateful breath of fresh air.

10 /10

Lee Davis

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