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Delays - Star Tiger Star Ariel (Lookout Mountain)

2/5

By: Ben Smith

Initially compared to the likes of The Stone Roses, Delays certainly never reached that level of success or acclaim.  Although, looking back through their catalogue of hits, I’m surprised to find good memories of their indie summer anthems come flooding back. The radio friendly ’Long Time Coming’ and the electro rush of the brilliant ’Valentine’ suggested Delays could be just a cracking singles band that have, perhaps inexplicably, never quite made it. Maybe this, their fourth album, brings something new to the table?

Opening with a dream like trickle of acoustic guitar, keys and spaced out soundscapes, ‘Find a Home’ is an unexpected start to Star Tiger Star Ariel, and also a slightly disappointing one.  However, its successor ‘The Lost Estate’ brings with it a darker edge that’s initially far more interesting - singer Greg Gilbert’s trademark falsetto voice whirls in and out of beautiful melodic explorations, though as the chorus hits (usually their strong point, right?) I find myself cringing, throwing the headphones away as far as possible. Having started so well, it couldn’t have gone worse – this now sounds like Savage Garden.

Thankfully, ‘Shanghaied’ takes the album on a new twist. Maybe it’s just Gilbert’s harsher vocals, but if this was the album opener I’d be feeling a hell of a lot more excited about the rest of the LP. The drums stand out enormously as the intensity is taken up a notch or two – indeed, the outro is all percussion, pounding the speakers in a manner that confirms that Delays have, finally, gotten my attention.

‘Rhapsody’ instantly reminds one of The Smiths with the jangly picking style of the Marr-esque guitar intro, however the tempo is slower, calmer, and at times they sound more like a very polished boy band than indie rock stars.  Much of Star Tiger Star Ariel thusly floats from genre to genre, and on occasion there are dark electro undertones which crawl out momentarily but fade away too soon to make it an album that would propel Delays towards superstardom.  Gilbert suggests the album is about ‘being lost, and the dream of being found’. I can’t help but feel that Delays are somewhat lost once again, a radio friendly singles band that never managed to make a remarkable album.

Artists in this article: Delays

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