Label: V2/Mercury
Release Date: 14/04/08
Rating:
It seems like Blood Red Shoes have been around for a while, such is their relentless touring schedule both as headliners and for the likes of admirers such as Maximo Park. Not adverse to spending nights on fans floors and giving vast amounts of free music away via their official site, it would be hard to accuse them of either laziness or being in it for the money, something the band are strenuously keen to deny.
So what of this 'Box Of Secrets' then? Inevitably comparisons will be drawn with fellow boy/girl guitar duo The White Stripes, but the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are also obvious reference points. By the time 'You Bring Me Down' hits the speakers with its relentless chant of "bury your head, bury your heart" there can be little doubt as to where their appeal lies - spiky shouty guitar pop with sugar and venom in equally generous measures. The latter part of the album sees the stunningly gorgeous Laura-Mary Carter take lead vocal duties, which provides some much needed variety to proceedings as the sheer similarity becomes grating in places. This is most notable on 'Take The Weight' which sounds a little too much like the track which immediately precedes it, and the plodding 'Forgive Nothing' which feels and sounds like a band treading water.
That said there are plenty of hook-laden songs waiting to be discovered, such as the understated 'This Is Not For You' and the epic album closer 'Hope You Are Holding Up' - which douses their primal rock and roll template in a splattering of strings, to create something which leaps out from the speakers and shows real potential for developing their sound yet further.
Listening to this collection of songs, it's easy to forget that this is their debut LP - a testament to their genuine work ethic and ear for a tune. If this Brighton band are anything to go by then you'd have to disagree with their claim that it's getting boring by the sea.
Greg Inglis
Blood Red Shoes Official Site
Try Harder Records
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