Koufax - Hard Times Are In Fashion (Doghouse)
2/5
By: Gareth Roberts
This album is one of those which you'll not be quite sure whether to merely dislike or to regard with outright revulsion. Opener 'Why Bother At All' is a case in point - lots going on to the extent where it sounds a bit messy, like We Are Scientists but with a loopy piano thrown in for good measure. The band clearly specialise in simple pop music dressed up in something a little more complex, and to an extent it works, but overall it all feels a little bit MTV friendly - you know, the kind of band that would sell their own dear Grandma in return for Pete Wentz mentioning them in an interview.
'What the public wants is what it gets!' sings Robert Suchan in his Matt Bellamy-like voice, and to an extent, he could have a point here, as the public do seem to be lapping up this kind of thing at the moment. 'Isabelle' is piano led, and has what one could call a 'nice' tune with a slight rockabilly tinge, but then it was recorded in the mid-west, so that's perhaps not entirely surprising. It's catchy stuff, but regrettably in an Orson kind of way.
There follows a slight (probably completely coincidental) nod to Hope of the States on 'Blind Faith', a swoony, introspective number which ultimately fails to make an impact, threatening all along to build into something but never quite managing it. They lack the edge of other piano heavy bands like the marvellous Cold War Kids, or the genius of Tapes n Tapes, leaving Koufax as not really anything special, just another of those run of the mill bands who may please the housewives but will leave real music fans cold.
However, this attempt to be all things to all people seems to have them shooting themselves in the foot. 'Trouble Will Find You' is what they do best - a piano laden melodic number, it's the kind of thing that will appeal to your mum, rather than a lot of the album which your 11 year old little brother might like but your mum will hate. The references are plentiful, but there's a clear difference between being vaguely reminiscent of a number of artists, and actually being of any worth in your own right. The problem is that for every half decent song, there's a shoddy one. What's most confusing? It's that they've got some good pop songs, and if they only accepted that this is what they do best, instead of trying to be something they're struggling to be, they might sell some records.
Artists in this article: Koufax
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