The Elms
Truth, Soul, Rock & Roll
Sparrow
I know that one should never judge a book by its cover, but in the case of The Elms’ Truth, Soul, Rock & Roll, the cover is pretty much a perfect representation of what’s inside: watered down, samey and boring Oasis rock, played by a bunch of posturing gentlemen in faux hipster outfits.
I guess it could be said that these guys play more than watered down Oasis/Primal Scream rock. But, if you’ve heard one album in this genre, you’ve heard 99% of them. I’m not trying to say that these guys are a bad band, because they’re not; they actually sound quite decent. The fact of the matter is, there’s only so much mileage a band should get out of the big guitar “rock & roll” thing. Come on, people! This record has some really slick production, so you know these guys paid a ton of cash to make it; would it have hurt to come up with at least a little bit of originality?
I tried really hard to like this record, but just when I was about to warm up to it a bit, I glanced at the cover, and it hit me over the head! That ridiculous, haughty look on the band members’ faces is just too much to take! I think these guys must have attended the “Be Hip in Just 10 Days” seminar at the local community college. Pinstripe suit coat, with a white scarf! Shaggy, mop hair cut! Pouty lips and smug lips! I know it’s not nice to slag a band that sings praises to God, but these guys are just plugging in numbers to an already stagnant formula. If you dig the whole “bare bones rock & roll” thing, you’ll like this. It’s not terrible, just terribly boring.
Sparrow Records: http://www.sparrowrecords.com/
