Earlier this month we reviewed Done In Secret, the first single to be taken from the new Pigeon Detectives album, Up, Guards and At ‘Em. If you read the review, you may remember that we were unimpressed with the progress that the band had achieved since their last release, all the way back in 2008.
Unfortunately the full length album, set for release on April 4th through Dance To The Radio, does very little to reignite our faith in the fatiguing Indie genre. With that said, the overall sound of the record still retains the fun loving, upbeat appeal that the Pigeon Detectives have previously offered us, whilst squeezing in a few unexpected twists on their established radio-friendly sound.
The opening track, She Wants Me, has a name that sounds like it could be absolutely any other Pigeon Detectives song, and by the end sounds exactly the same as well. The band teases the listener with an interesting first thirty seconds that by the end of the album you wished had become a theme. A much more popular and contemporary style of music is hinted at, with an electric synth melody mixed with fast electronic drums; but this is quickly sucked away by the strong Yorkshire accent and jangly guitar riffs that drown out any memory of something new. It’s as if the Pigeon Detectives bought themselves a fancy new synthesiser, but then quickly returned back because they didn’t want to over use it. As a consequence, they have done the opposite and not included it enough to make it seem hardly worth the purchase in the first place.
The stand out moment arrives on I Don’t Know, and it just so happens to be the closing song from the album. The song finally gives a sense of a maturing sound, and it’s a huge shame that it takes ten tracks to reach this point. The synth makes a triumphant return after its huge eight song break, and the lyrics finally take a serious edge. This is a welcomed improvement, as on earlier tracks lead singer Matt Bowman carries on singing about relationships, something we have heard at least a thousand times from other generic indie bands. When not singing about relationships, the lyrics take a different approach, with obscure phrases such as, ‘I want to dance with you, but my hands are on fire’. Rather than tell us about it Matt, why not find a bucket of water?
With all this said, the band is very good at what they do, and I am sure the new album will be a great starting point for some exciting live performances. The indie music they play is played well, the guitar riffs are executed neatly and the chorus melodies are catchy most of the time. Back in 2007, when the Arctic Monkeys were at their peak, and other bands like the Wombats were dominating the night club speakers, the Pigeon detective’s style of music fit perfectly. However, both of those bands sound developed and matured drastically over the last few years, along with its developing and maturing audience. For some reason the Pigeon Detectives have decided against change, and while Up Guards and At ‘Em is great fun, it lacks anything of substance; this may mean that the Pigeon Detectives get left behind.
Up Guards and At ‘Em is released through Dance To The Radio records on the 4th April. The band is on tour now.
Female First - Edward Lewis