as far as naming a rock band goes, taking your cue from the titular villain in an 80s-tastic sci-fi cartoon might not seem like the most logical of choices, especially when said name sounds like the latest addition to the British Museum. But none of that matters with Mumm-Ra, because they've got the musical chops to make you remember them for more than having an unusual name. Having made noise last year with a few singles that did pretty well in the NME-MTV2-XFM universe, they released their debut album, These Things Move In Threes, last month to mostly good-to-great reviews. The first few months of 2007 have already seen a bunch of really good releases by young British rock acts, among which Fields, The Maccabees or The View, but I have a feeling that this particular band will manage to avoid getting lost in the glut thanks to their confident mix of catchy hooks and peppy guitars.
The album starts off strong with two of the best cuts, Now or Never and 2006 semi-hit Out of The Question back-to-back. The following four songs keep up the same level of intensity , and it isn't until the seventh track that things slow down a bit (but not too much). Out Of The Question, in particular, sounds even better than the already impressive version released last year, with the band clearly in no mood to take things as they come. Of course, this being yet another Brit guitar band, nothing feels truly original, but the energy and wide-eyed lyrics ( "If i failed to deliver/if the world left you bitter/if waitin and prayin hasnt led to you payin/of course i will care") are enough to listen to the entire album without ever feeling truly weighed down or bored.
If anything, the only reproach might be that some of the material feels a bit "too" honest and innocent, both in the lyrics and music, for the experience to feel memorable. While Out Of The Question manages to avoid the artificial feel many of the arena-hits tend to have (The Automatic's 'Monster', anyone?), some of the songs toward the end of the album do sound like they're on the wrong side of the mainstream-anthem debate. Take 'Starlight', which typically sounds like the sort of song that could be featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy, meaning superficially it's got some of the rock edge, but in the end it's a bit too glossy to be considered anything more than just decent. Snow Patrol does this sort of thing really well (and live they are absolutely killer), but there's a reason why it took them a while to find their successful formula. Mumm-Ra seem like a band that's got the requisite punch and skills to last, let's hope this first release is a harbinger of good things to come for them.
Official site
Myspace
Youtube: Out Of The Question video
previously:
Sound advice 1 -Arcade Fire
Sound advice 2 - Loney, Dear
Sound advice 3 - Jeremy Larson
The album starts off strong with two of the best cuts, Now or Never and 2006 semi-hit Out of The Question back-to-back. The following four songs keep up the same level of intensity , and it isn't until the seventh track that things slow down a bit (but not too much). Out Of The Question, in particular, sounds even better than the already impressive version released last year, with the band clearly in no mood to take things as they come. Of course, this being yet another Brit guitar band, nothing feels truly original, but the energy and wide-eyed lyrics ( "If i failed to deliver/if the world left you bitter/if waitin and prayin hasnt led to you payin/of course i will care") are enough to listen to the entire album without ever feeling truly weighed down or bored.
If anything, the only reproach might be that some of the material feels a bit "too" honest and innocent, both in the lyrics and music, for the experience to feel memorable. While Out Of The Question manages to avoid the artificial feel many of the arena-hits tend to have (The Automatic's 'Monster', anyone?), some of the songs toward the end of the album do sound like they're on the wrong side of the mainstream-anthem debate. Take 'Starlight', which typically sounds like the sort of song that could be featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy, meaning superficially it's got some of the rock edge, but in the end it's a bit too glossy to be considered anything more than just decent. Snow Patrol does this sort of thing really well (and live they are absolutely killer), but there's a reason why it took them a while to find their successful formula. Mumm-Ra seem like a band that's got the requisite punch and skills to last, let's hope this first release is a harbinger of good things to come for them.
Official site
Myspace
Youtube: Out Of The Question video
previously:
Sound advice 1 -Arcade Fire
Sound advice 2 - Loney, Dear
Sound advice 3 - Jeremy Larson
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