The Undertones: Dig Yourself Deep
Friday, 12 Oct 2007 13:23
Teenage dreams - so hard to beat...
Cooking Vinyl, out Monday, October 15th.
In a nutshell…
Catchy tracks from pop-punk mainstays
What's it all about?
Lasting around half an hour and made up of 14 tracks, it doesn't take much brain power to do the maths, Dig Yourself Deep is exactly what you'd expect from the veteran pop-punkers, a clutch of fast and catchy tracks that you'll find yourself humming after a couple of listens.
Many things have altered since what may be argued to be The Undertones' biggest hit was released on their self-titled 1979 debut album. One thing that remains unchanged, however, is the musical style of the Irish band. The majority of the tracks on the album don't reach three minutes, but then again they don't really need to as their infectiously memorable melodies and catchy lyrics get their point across in double-quick time.
Who's it by?
Writers of the late, great John Peel's all-time favourite track Teenage Kicks, The Undertones formed in 1975 in Derry, Northern Ireland. The band released three albums until tensions led to a split in 1983. Upon their reformation in 1999 vocalist Feargal Sharkey had been replaced by Paul McLoone, Dig Yourself Deep represents the new incarnation of the band's second album of original material, their first since 2003's Get What You Need.
As an example…
"Think of the times and the obvious clues/The jealous looks that you used to use/"ritten on your face so many lines/That tell the story of better times." - Move Right In.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
While there’s nothing quite as memorable as Teenage Kicks on here, it's bound to prove popular with fans of the McLoone-fronted version of the band, but punk never does well at the Grammys (unless you’re Green Day).
What the others say
"Dig Yourself Deep is a prime example of the band's restless energy, incorporating short, sharp and melodic hooks and lyrics that tell of punk approaching middle age." - Amazon
"The album won't offend anyone, which is precisely the problem - we need excitement but Dig Yourself Deep is essentially another extension of previous work which gives the band an excuse to tour for longer." - Gigwise
So is it any good?
As soon as you hear the opening notes of Dig Yourself Deep's eponymous opening track, the familiar sound of The Undertones punchy, punkish sound brings back memories of Teenage Kicks. Catchy and a little nostalgic, yet at the same time fresh, McCloone's vocals do not betray the fact that it's only the his second trip into the studio with the band.
There's almost a strange feeling of confusion or deja vu as you listen to the album. Between the plethora of two-minute guitar bursts that are unmistakeably Undertones are a few tracks that would not sound out of place being performed by more contemporary artists; Him Not Me could easily be on a new album by the View or the Fratellis and Fight My Corner has a certain Dandy Warhols-esque feel to it.
While these forays into other artists' territory aren't always successful, for the most part Dig Yourself Deep provides much better pop-punk than you could hope for from the majority of today's bands.
7/10
John Brunskill
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