Cast your mind back to the release of Owl City’s Ocean Eyes. Journalists were desperate to find something else to say other than “this sounds just like the younger, less talented brother of The Postal Service”. But they couldn’t, because there was, literally, nothing else to say.

Well folks, we’re there again. WE ARE THE WORLD SOUND JUST LIKE THE KNIFE. There, I said it. But there’s an important caveat… comparing We Are The World to the Knife is like saying if you love Cadbury’s chocolate then you’ll love Hershey’s too. As we all know, Cadbury’s silken wonderlust is streets ahead of Hershey’s vomit-like brown slabs. And while Clay Stones shows definite promise, it’s not a patch on Deep Cuts.

But I’m prepared to give this project time. They’ve gone about things in the right way. If you’re going to create an “artist” to rival the Dreijers, then collecting a film composer, choreographer, designer and burlesque dancer together is a bloody good start.

Bearing that in mind, it’s no surprise their artistic live performances have already lit up Los Angeles and SXSW, amongst others. Will you like it? Much depends on how you consume music. If you like your quick fixes and pop hits, your Spotify playlists and your mix-tapes, then almost certainly not. If you’re the type of person who turns the lights down low and gets swept away on a visual adventure in your head, then yes, give this a shot.

Foot Follows Foot opens the album and you could be forgiven for thinking the Moldy Peaches are at the saucepans again as they were with LCD Soundsystem’s This Is Happening. But the track, and album, soon bursts into life, like a lone gunman protecting his castle with an electronic rifle, letting out short, sharp bursts of beats and bleeps. Title track Clay Stones is the standout pop stomper, destined to be remixed for evermore, while Afire conjures up images of seven-headed monsters rampaging through small Scandanavian villages, setting them on fire before stopping for a 100 degree rave.

Think I have an overactive imagination? Just give this album a whirl and see if I’m wrong.

Watch this space.

Tags: theknife, wearetheworld

This entry was posted on Friday, June 4th, 2010 at 5:03 pm and is filed under Music Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.