Like a cut down tree I will rise again

2009 seems to have been filled with a lot of disappointing albums.

Records that are distinctly average.

Neither good enough to gush over, nor bad enough to slate. Records that just exist. That merely fill the time they play for. That I’m easily distracted from. That say nothing to me about my life. Records that don’t really inspire me to want to write anything about them. So I thought rather than just ignore them completely, I’d lump them in together under the banner of being a lazy post about records that have a couple of good songs but nothing you’d lose any sleep over if you never heard them again.

Of the bunch, I’m most disappointed by the records from Noah & The Whale and My Latest Novel because I adored their debut albums so much. You could argue that maybe my expectations were too high but honestly, I think both offerings are just a bit mediocre. The former is a break up record so relentlessly maudlin and one paced that it just becomes a struggle to get through. Lacking the variety of pace and mood that their debut record reveled in, only 'Love Of An Orchestra' offers any real break from the navel gazing introspection. Alas it's so cheesy and overblown that it stands out for all the wrong reasons.

My Latest Novel also seem to have taken a few missteps on their new record. Over eleven songs they show almost none of the rough charm that made me fall for them in the first place. The edges have been smoothed off and the whole thing feels like they’ve spent far too much time thinking about how to make it sound grand and epic. It’s ambitious certainly but unfortunately for me, it fails to hit the highs it’s reaching for. As for ‘Humbug’, well, frankly it’s just a bit dull. A bit sludgy and lumpen. It lacks any of the musical wit and lightness of touch that made the Arctic Monkeys so thrilling in the first place. Though worse than that, is the distinct lack of any decent tunes.

Like I say, none of them are particularly bad records, they're just incredibly disappointing. Now you could argue that if I gave these records more of a chance then they might suddenly click. That maybe they just need more time to reveal themselves. And yes, there’s a chance you might be right. But frankly, I’ve not heard enough in them that makes me want to listen to them again. I’m all for giving records time and space to settle in but I’m always worried that forcing yourself to listen to something merely creates the illusion of liking them because you become familiar with them. I mean, how many times have you found yourself humming along to some shitty song that you hate purely because you’ve heard it everywhere you go?

Noah & The Whale - first days of spring (live session version) original version available on 'The First Days Of Spring'

My Latest Novel - a dear green place (live session version) original version available on 'Deaths & Entrances'

Arctic Monkeys - crying lightning (live acoustic session version) original version available on 'Humbug'