Infadels - A Million Pieces (Wall Of Sound)
2/5
I've heard of Infadels before. I think I may have even heard one or two of their songs, perhaps chugging out from radio speakers whilst I was in the bath or doing homework or something, but I can't for the life of me ever remember what they sound like. I have, however, always had a vague, self-formed idea; big washy keyboards, U2-lite guitars, empowered vocals - essentially where "indie" rock is at in the early 21st Century.
My suspicions were once again aroused on seeing the cover of this single - bright flashy colours and all sorts of cheap splurging effects - and 'A Million Pieces' is exactly the sort of title to thoroughly cement my pre-conceptions. They always left me with a slightly empty feeling, that much I know, whenever I did catch a few seconds, even though they make exactly the sort of music that's meant to fill that hole. So, it is with this in mind that I approached the track.
And boy, was I surprised?! Actually, no, I wasn't. It sounded pretty much exactly how I imagined it would. Lead singer Bnann (silly name) does sound as if he has some terribly important and frantic message to impart, and must strain every sinew, every fibre of his being in order for us to understand its significance - but when he serves us gabble as ineffectual and hollow as "pack up all your silver stars/point to the place you want to escape" (should that be "escape from"? One wonders...) and the final, supposedly bold and invigorating "I need you now/I can't let you forget me", he just ends up sounding clichéd and even a little bored; guitars chime like skyscrapers, but in the end are more just there to add to texture than to do anything else; all the other elements couple together to produce a track conceived for the terraces, for people to hug and kiss and cry to at festivals.
The problem is, though, that this song has been written on so many occasions that it is now very difficult to bring something new to the table. It can be done - Elbow's claiming of last week's Mercury Prize proves this (although come on judges, IN RAINBOWS was on that list) - but unfortunately the track's lack of invention means it comes up short. It's a shame, as you feel that, were this band to spread their wings and not be afraid to fully express themselves through their music, they could come up with something far better.
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