The Wave Pictures – Instant Coffee Baby
Am I going to get lynched if I say that I found this album a little disappointing? I love the Wave Pictures, and I haven’t seen this stuff live yet, so maybe I should hold fire a little, but the songwriting on this record is a bit thin in places, I find. I mean this musically – Tatersall’s lyrics are always brilliant – but some of the songs just seem a bit weak, with Avocado Baby and Just Like a Drummer being the worst offenders. What is there to get excited about in these songs? In fact I would go so far as to say that the middle of the album is just a little bit stodgy.
Churlish whingeing? Well yes, if I’m being honest. I basically wanted this to be the best album the universe has ever heard and it’s fallen short of that: it’s merely bloody excellent. Strange Fruit For David is brilliant, as is the storming opener Leave That Scene Behind. Friday Night in Loughborough is also fantastic. I think what it comes down to is that they used to occasionally do songs where David Tatersall screeched ‘I like my girlfriend better than your girlfriend’. It was tuneless, irritating and strangely comforting. I didn’t enjoy it when he did it, but I enjoyed it that he did it, does that make sense? In amongst some frankly bizarre moments were some of the best songs I’d heard for years, and that made it special. Like you’d entered a weird, slightly unnerving world and whilst you were feeling slightly disorientated and a little threatened you discovered a little gem of joy to anchor to whilst you got your bearings.
Now, that disorientation has gone. There’s nothing prickly or bizarre about this album – it’s just an excellent pop record – which means that I have had to learn to relate to the songs a little differently and to be frank I’ve struggled to adjust. So it’s less uneven, slightly smoother, and hence the sudden moments where the slightly atonal delivery, just on the verge of losing it altogether, twists itself into something beautiful is lost a little bit.
But don’t for a second think that I don’t really enjoy this album, because I do. And if you don’t know the Wave Pictures then it’s only yourself you’re cheating.
The Wave Pictures – Leave the Scene Behind
The Wave Pictures – Friday Night in Loughborough
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…and how you championed them.
Song, By Toad: Hype, Hype, and Hype.
No, don’t get me wrong, I really do like this. It’s just not as exciting as I had hoped it might be. I might have been just a little guilty of having unrealistic expectations, but I wouldn’t say it was as good as Sophie, for example, or Hawaiian Open Mic Night.
You don’t like Just Like A Drummer?! chump.
I keep expecting it to be a parody of Bob Dylan: ‘You make love just like a drummer…’ and so on. Which would be quite a good song actually.
I hadn’t come across The Wave Pictures before all the hype began a few months ago.
Yeah, intriguing lyrics and delivered in such a way that I am often drawn back to this album. The guy’s got a good voice.
And ‘Friday Night In Loughborough’ – what a catchy track.
Not the best band in the world, which is what you’d think by reading some of the reviews out there, but certainly good enough for me to be annoyed that I didn’t pick up on them until the big boys (label and press) got hold of them. I mean, we pride ourselves on catching these things first, don’t we?
I know what you mean about this album. I really like it, but I think it is the weight of expectation. It was expecting it to be really amazing and it seems to fall just short. That said I was listening again the other day and it was sounding particularly fine. Good enough to be top 10 2008 so far I think.
I don’t know Gav – if it was just Sophie or Hawaiian Open Mic Night I might think they were pretty damn close to the best band out there. LIsten to this and I’d go no further than very good, I think.
As Tim says, I think excessive expectation may be playing quite a big role here.
I haven’t heard as many tracks as others, so I don’t feel my opinion holds as much weight, but I’d certainly go as far as ‘very good’, agreed.
are we criticising a band here for producing something “very good” – cunts, how dare they let their standards drop from exceptional!!
Erm, point entirely taken. Ridiculous really, isn’t it.
yes – you took my point onboard – anonymous was me!!! glorious moment in my life.
The Kays Lavelle were shit.
In other news, Mr Toad wasn’t instantly bowled over by the Wave Pictures at first but since his other half insisted on his playing them (to be fair, i never know who i like, just what, “play that one that goes ta ded deee dee dee with the adenoidal guy” is as close as it gets) he got there in the end.
Its me wot has the taste. Me!
you’re right about this. it does peter out a bit after the first coupla tracks.
Still very good though.
Yeah, as much as I like a lot of the songs on it, I am not finding the whole album all that gripping. Not that there’s not some good stuff, but I don’t think it compares with Sophie, Catching the Light or Hawaiian Open Mic Night.
I don’t have those others. Which one is worth getting? I do think ICB is ruddy marvellous (if a little wishy washy in the middle). Wish I could do stuff like that.
& I do like the drummer one. The one I don’t like is 12. The one before Cassius Clay, which I really like.
I am slightly ashamed to admit I got into them through the collaboration they did with John Darnielle, He Swims Like A Fish, a ruddy marvellous track you can download from the WP website. If only all tMG stuff sounded like that.
Still. WP and tMG at EotR. Can’t wait.
That’s a lot of abbreviations.
The lineup for this year is looking amazing. Calexico too, which warms my heart. Last year I could have gone twice and still ended up missing bands I wanted to see.
In terms of the Wave Pictures, you might as well work your way backwards. Sophie might be in my top ten albums for this decade.
I’ll angle for Sophie, then maybe. When I get some cash
Pedro, i’d go for ‘Hawaiian Open Mic Night’ personally. one of my favourite cds for sure. Also, it’s worth finding the Herman Dune cover album ‘Catching Light’ the did.
Whilst I’d recommend Sophie myself, you certainly won’t go wrong with Hawaiian – both are brilliant albums.