Artist: The Race
Source: Paddy Murphy
The Race are a bunch of five wholesome youngster from Reading that have clearly been raised on a strict diet of the best of North American and UK indie and post punk. And we're talking the good stuff here; along the lines of Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Talking Heads, Flaming Lips, Joy Division, you get the picture.
In My Head It Works is one of those records that's nearly too good to put into words. It's the album that bands like Elbow wish they'd written. Super Furry Animals would be another one that'll be kicking themselves when they hear this, wishing to the high heavens that they'd written something like this and propel them towards the big bucks and away from the cursed cult status they've been in for years. Actually, Elbow are in a good position now, because of their Mercury win, and fair play to them too, but if they hadn't won then this is the album they'd listen to for finding some inspiration for their follow up to The Seldom Seen Kid.
It's a crying shame though that this band will remain largely anonymous and won't get any airplay, especially here in Ireland unless someone at Phantom bothers going through the bin of thrown-out CDs (which I've heard is as big as the bin on the back of a rubbish truck) and finds it. Which they won't but that's ok, that's what we're here for.
Opener, Begin sets the tone beautifully for the rest of the album, clocking in at just over a minute. A marching-band beat and vocals that pan from right to left let the listener know that they should get ready for one hell of a record. Second track and first singleI Get It Wrong should be this summer's Wake Up. God I can see it now, Electric Picnic, sunshine, weed and alcohol, your head swimming and this tune ripping through the speakers. Ya know, one of those “festival” moments. Ah well, shouldn't get excited, they'll probably never get spotted by the Picnic's head-honchos.
Second single Rude Boy build slowly but the constant driving drum beat gives it an urgency that makes you wanna get up and dance your ass off like it's the final tune before the lights come up and you've got to head home. The finale of the tune turns into an all out mosh-pit distorted guitars and a whopper of a bassline. Something that would be home on any Arctic Monkey's album.
Other highlights include Undecided, another singalong festival songs, if there's anyone listening, please somebody book this band for one of the festivals, don't care which one, just do it, make this moronic fool happy for a change and instead of booking some hyped up shite you seen at SXSW, book a band that are plugging away only across the pond. Killer is what The Killers should have done on Sam's Town, (are the band having a dig there?) if they had they'd be massive now with everyone and have the respect that they so desperately crave, but as we all know they blew it with Day and Age.
Better to Slip Away is another belter of a song, actually it's the best song on the album. Fuck it you know what, don't bother buying this album and don't bother texting your local radio station looking to hear tracks from In My Head It Works before you buy it. Naw, don't bother. It's just easier for you to listen to the tripe that's pumped and churned out daily from radio infecting your brain with shite than to find a band that, honestly, could unite the world with world peace through their music, no messing. Bill and Ted style (Wild Stallions rule!). Naw don't bother giving a break to a band that have worked on one of the finest albums of the year, no actually, of the decade, sure ,you'd prefer to listen to Coldplay and U2 and Mundy (if I ever meet that Galway Girl I'm gonna drown the bitch for inflicting such bolloxology on the nation).
Whatever, I'm getting angry, instead listen to the band. Two more songs to mention Gloves and Give Me Your Bible, awesome, excellent, massive tunes. I wish I was in this band, then I could sleep well at night knowing that I'd given something of beauty to the world. I'd probably be a bit annoyed it didn't make any money for me but, sure whatever, that's an argument for another day, to be filthy rich of to be or to be artistically supreme over your peers.....Bono? Are you out there?
Drop-d Rating 9/10
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