Amazon.co.uk Review
Those impassive, multicoloured faces, gazing from the artwork of
True Skies may lead prospective purchasers to conclude--somewhat optimistically--that the Shining's debut album is some kind of post-millennial Brit-rock stab at psychedelia. Unfortunately, the truth--and, therefore the music--is a lot less polychromatic than the sleeve-designer and the bands' radiant moniker would have us believe. Heralding the welcome return of ex-
Verve men Simon Tong and Simon Jones, the Shining have the occasionally handy way with a stadium-enhancing tune but, regrettably, give every indication that they inhabit a world where the only true gods are
Noel Gallagher and
Jimmy Page, two deities whose rhymester platitudes and Richter-troubling riffology must be worshipped and replicated at every turn. Indeed, the sort of idolatrous
Led Zeppelin fixation that permeated the Stone Roses' lazy
second album is all too apparent and may just be--conjecturally speaking--the lingering influence of John Squire's inceptive involvement with the band. While the persuasive, chiming mandolin of "Crest of an Ocean" and the excellent, consumer-friendly "Young Again" augur well for the future,
True Skies does lack what description-seeking police officers commonly refer to as "distinguishing features".
--Kevin Maidment
CD Description
Debut album from London quintet featuring Simon Jones and Simon Tong, formerly of the Verve, who formed the band with ex-Stone Roses guitarist John Squire (who has since left). Their anthemic, swaggering rock is reminiscent of their formerband but is also influenced by Led Zeppelin and the Stooges. The album, produced by the legendary Youth, includes the singles 'Quicksilver' and 'I Wonder How'.
