Music this week

FICTION RECORDS

Rs 395 RATING:

It is hard to pin down Athlete in a single genre,with indie rock overlapping Brit pop,and a bit of electronic rock thrown in. This has led to some unfavourable comparisons with the hugely successful but similarly genreless Coldplay. While Coldplays Chris Martin is a bit of a lyrical genius,Athletes Joel Pott manages to come up with good music but utterly ludicrous lyrics at times. Often the song is better than its words and leaves you wishing for something more poignant.  

Their 2003 debut album,Vehicles amp; Animals,was quirky,but it was their next two albums that propelled them to semi-stardom. Black Swan should help them win over new fans as it is an extremely agreeable album. The first song,Superhuman touch,reeks of manufactured pop,but there are gems. The getaway is surprisingly deep in addition to being sing-able and Dont hold your breath grows on you pretty soon. Black swan is a lovely song about the death of Potts grandfather. Possibly the two best songs are The awkward goodbye,a tender break-up song,and the delightful Rubiks cube. It is unlikely that Athlete will ever attain superstardom,and some fans would prefer it that way. It is,in fact,one of those bands that,outside of the British Isles,no one has heard of and are thus personal finds. We recommend Black Swan as your first Athlete album to ensure that it wont be your last.

mangal.dalalexpressindia.com