The Suzukis

After a very good debut EP (Reducer Ep), and an equally good follow-up single (Night-time Takes Over), I was looking forward to hearing what The Suzukis could conjure up in album form, and what I heard was more than a bit disappointing.

A number of professional reviews I've read for this album mark the band down as a Britpop throwback, but there's nothing here to merit such a connotation. The only Britpop band I can honestly draw a parallel with is Elastica, although not musically.

Some might remember that Elastica fans were made to wait five years between the release of their debut album in 1995, and the follow-up in 2000. The Suzukis manage to outdo that by a whole year, given that the band were signed to Deltasonic Records in 2005, and only issued their debut album in 2011. At least Elastica fans had an album and a bunch of singles to listen to in the meantime, while Suzukis fans had to make do with the meagre pickings of the two releases mentioned above.

With that in mind, it was hugely disappointing to discover that three of the eleven tracks on the album were previously available elsewhere (although slightly different versions). I use the word 'disappointing', others might say 'taking the mick'.

The tracks in question are: "Built In", which first featured on 2007's Reducer EP; "Back at the Factory", which was a b-side to the new single version of "Built In", and "Join Us", which was a b-side on the "Night-time Takes Over" single in 2008. So, that's three old b-sides that managed to make it onto this brand new debut album.

As for the rest of the tracks: "Are You Happy With Yourself?" is a decent album opener. It's short and punchy, and, at just over 2 minutes long, it doesn't outstay its welcome, despite its repetitiveness. On the next track, "Really High", we find Veasey attempting to actually sing a little, making it a bit out-of-step with his usual half-talking/half-shouting style. Though, its quiet parts aren't interesting enough, and its loud parts don't rock enough. "Boring Hell" also follows the same pattern. Much, if not all, of the album fails to capture the band's raw and powerful sound when performing live. It's for this reason that many of the tracks fall short of expectations.

Before you realise just where you've heard "Reasons for Leaving" before, it actually sounds half decent. But, as noted in other reviews for the album, it's clearly an unequivocal rip-off of Nirvana's "Rape Me". It's at this point that it starts to become clear why the band chose to release the album's opening track as a free download in order to promote the album.

The next song, "Chris Veasey Told Me So", actually helps restore a little faith in the record, with Veasey shouting and ranting at his very best. It's a good track, and, it's worth noting, the second shortest on the record. "Personal Patrol", the second single taken from the album, follows, and is a bit of a dirge, recalling - as does much of the band's sound - American grunge bands of the 90s. It's another decent track. Things are looking up.

"HMS Greyface" continues this trend, with Veasey's Northern drawl working to good effect, with intermittent guitar, drum and vocal stabs. The album ends with "How Long", which takes an age to get going. It's the most polished sounding song on the album, as Bamford's arpeggio guitar dominates proceedings. It's not bad, but it's not great.

For an album that was six years in the making, it was simply not worth the wait. Maybe The Suzukis and Deltasonic should've taken a cue from the bands and record labels of the Britpop era in that respect, many of whom had their debut album out the year after they were signed. The band celebrate their ten-year anniversary this year (2012), so hopefully they'll have something special planned for their small, but dedicated following.

Instead of buying the whole album, I'd recommend that you download the few choice cuts from the digital version (or buy the EP, if you haven't already), and put the rest of your money towards a ticket to see the band play live. I think that the only people who could honestly enjoy this album are those that haven't yet had the privilege.

2.5/5

If you like your music heavy, loud and angry the look no further! If you own any QOTSA or Nirvana or early Oasis then its quite simple. You must buy this now!