Surrounded
Safety in Numbers
Deep Elm
Alright guys, put on your shades, grow your hair into a shag and get ready to sport the hippest frown you can, because Surrounded is coming to town, and they want to see just how cool you really are! They’re going to play lots of slow, guitar-driven songs that teeter on the edge of being shoegazer, but don’t quite make it. There will be lots of grainy sounding samples, and you better have a disinterested look on your face!
In all seriousness, this is one of the most boring albums ever made. I usually like slow shoegazer stuff, but there’s something lacking on Safety in Numbers. The recording quality is good, as every instrument is clear and crisp. The guitars are actually warm. Were it an album of just the guitar tracks, I’d probably be raving about it. It must be the vocals and the drums that ruin this one. The vocalist is a breathy little guy, who seems to agonize over every syllable that comes out of his hipster mouth. The funny thing about his delivery is that what he’s saying isn’t very interesting; he’s getting super emo about nothing in particular. Talk about going through the motions. The drums are weak, and sound like they were performed on a child’s drum kit that you would buy at Sears. There’s no punch whatsoever, and the drummer plays the ride cymbal the entire time, which grows more and more annoying as the album progresses.
In a word: garbage. I’m not talking about Shirley Manson’s band, either. This album is one to avoid, regardless of how hip you think you need to be. There’s nothing cool about mediocre shoegazer rock!
Deep Elm: http://www.deepelm.com/
