CD Review: " ‘No Need To Be Downhearted’" by The Electric Soft Parade
Reviewer: Charlotte King

Release date 30th April 2007 on Truck Records


Over five years since the release of their Mercury nominated album ‘Holes in the Wall’ the brothers Tom and Alex White aka the Electric Soft Parade are back with ‘No Need To Be Downhearted’. This new record was not recorded in any professional studios and had a little budget available and yet it has an epic sound to it mainly achieved by the Brothers own knowledge of recording equipment and a boatload of musical talent between them playing over 10 instruments on this record as well as writing and arranging all the songs. Right from the beginning of this album the brothers seem to be setting out there stall with the boisterous title track from the record ‘No Need to be Downhearted’.

The album then twist and turns from the beautiful ‘Woken by a Kiss’ and ‘Life in the Backseat’ which sounds like it could have been written by Squeeze and the sombre ‘Secrets’ with its brass section which is enough to bring tears to your eyes. There are plenty of stand out moments on this records the first single ‘If that’s the case, then I don’t know’ is as the band themselves put it an indie disco monster! And I have to agree with them. ‘Misunderstanding’ which is the oldest track on the record could very easily be a single and ‘Cold World’ which is so catchy and just a beautiful melody and harmonies that reminded me of the Bluetones.

Tom and Alex have clearly spent the last few years working hard on their sounds and this album if packed full of interesting sounds and excellent arrangement that you do not want to tear your ears away from the stereo in case you miss something.

 

www.electricsoftparade.com

www.myspace.com/electricsoftparade