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TyronneKubb - A cub in the music industry
July 24th 2006 06:08
Kubb
When critics slate upcoming bands to be the new Coldplay/Keane/Muse - whatever - you have to be cautious. Of course, if they say that the band is the new Radiohead, dismiss the comment immediately because its a factory-standard comment, ripped from the convoluted mind of British music critics everywhere when they have nothing better to say. But when bands like Coldplay and Keane are mentioned, the comment either means that the band are ripping the bands off, or they're tapping into the widening mainstream appreciation of acoustic/piano-driven soft rock, a genre increasingly difficult to fit into when so much has already been done.
"For a record that reaches for the heights of Jeff Buckley, the intensity of a less-goth Muse, and the heft of vintage Radiohead, this is an impressive achievement"
Unfortunately, in a genre where Coldplay has prospered and Keane has slowly and softly gained reputation, Kubb have failed both in terms of music and prosperity. of the five singles they have released over the past year or so, three have made it into the top 50 in the British music charts and, while they have slowly built up steam with each release, all three have failed to make it close to the top 10. Of course, that isn't without reason. Kubb, rather than foraying into new ground, have merely trodden in the footprints left behind by a U2 once gone by, with mud mildly reminiscent of Muse, and Coldplay faintly visible in the ground. Ok, a rather convoluted metaphor, but a necessary one nevertheless.
The opening track to Kubb's debut album "Mother," Remain, is a Keane inspired track, mixing ambient full piano with slightly more emphasis allowed on the guitar's efforts. A seemingly nice effort, but ultimately forgettable. The second track isn't better, a more U2-esque song, straight rock with the twisted boredom that is Youth Group. One can easily picture the song being performed by U2, with frontman Harry Collier's vocals easily being replaced with that of Bono's though admittedly resulting in a different emotional tangent. Nevertheless, minus the faint appearance of the zitar in certain parts of the song, the song struggles to be unique in any real way, covering ground that musicians have left behind for a decade or two.
Grow returns straight back to the dragging slow songs that make the album a one-timer for many listeners, though interestingly the best-performing song on the album to date in terms of its success in the British charts. The succeeding track, If I Can't Have You, is an interesting and refreshing track, a definite standout on the album. While it suffers from rather slow parts, the song is nevertheless one of the best on the album, though unfortunately that's not saying that much.
The second half of the album seems slightly stronger than first which, bar Wicked Soul and If I Can't Have You effortlessly incites boredom rather quickly. Alcatraz is an average ballad which utilises wierd metaphors and lyrical hooks, reducing the song to nothing more than an album filler. However, Chemical is an excellent addition to the album, a mellow ambient track reminiscent of some Radiohead material (as much as I hate to say it), but nevertheless a standout on its own. It loses it vibe towards the end, however, when it reintroduces the female vocal choir, a technique which coincides with Collier's vocals once again becoming a Bono replacement.
Collier attributes the religious themes to his childhood in a Christian family
The U2 feel is seen most in Without You, a blatant combination of the musical techniques of U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and a more upbeat With or Without You. Bitch also continues this feel but to a lesser extent, an acoustic ballad which fits well at the end of the album. Burn Again revisits those country tendencies that make the album that little bit more unbearable, causing it to become a song that simply drags and contributes well to the feeling of boredom.
Kubb's first effort is rather average, the album forced to rely on various influences from Coldplay, Keane, Muse, U2 and Radiohead, painting them as a cover band rather than an original band of their own merits. Hopefully, maturity will bring some form of uniqueness to them as a group, but for now, they are resigned to mediocre songs with a mediocre success. Songs like Wicked Soul, If I Can't Have You, and Chemical exhibit rare outbursts of musical talent but for the most part the album is a messy combination of their influences and will only gain recognition in the mainstream as yet another addition to the soft-rock arena.
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