The Isles - 'Eve Of The Battle' (Melodic)
3/5
By: Thomas Hannan
They stole our language, one of our national sports and got it horribly wrong (Baseball is not how you play Cricket, fools), Morrissey and much else, but if there's one thing the yanks should be thankful to us for letting them play with, it's our music.
What's infuriating? America takes English things and makes them happier. The accent's sexier, baseball games sell out where cricket grounds look like ghost towns and Morrissey has a tan. And in the hands of The Isles, good old stiff upper lipped melancholy has never sounded quite so breezy. Their first born single 'Eve of the Battle' glistens for each of its three minutes, presenting theirs to be a lovely (if so far slightly inconsequential) brand of shimmering pop, all gently restrained anthemia and comforting warmth.
The brainy part? It's actually pretty sad with it all. It just pretends to be happy. Get it? They stole it, but they obviously paid attention, taking the template to a clever place. Over the course of a full length, they'll invite it to others, and paint a fuller picture than this pleasant but somewhat lightweight effort can. We'll listen up. Fair's fair, we stole The Strokes, after all.
Artists in this article: The Isles
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