CD Review: Bombay Bicycle Club – “Flaws”

UK foursome returns with a forgettable sophomore album

By Derrick Rossignol

Posted on Nov. 22, 2010, at 4:17 p.m.

The term “acoustic” is either associated with a stripped-down rendition of a full-band song that sounds incomplete, or a strong original composition that was crafted specifically for the simple, organic arrangement.

On “Flaws,” the appropriately titled second album by Bombay Bicycle Club, the line between the two is tiptoed over again and again.

With a revolving-door lineup until the band’s core was solidified in 2006, Bombay Bicycle Club messed around with their name many times before settling on their current alias and winning a television competition put on by Virgin Mobile. A few concerts and EPs later, they released their debut record to a mixed reaction, and their newest effort will probably be approached with a similar sense of doubt.

Composed of reworks of previous releases, covers and original songs, the album has fewer high points than low ones. That’s not to say that most of the tracks are bad — many of them are nice and listenable — but the similarity of the tracks causes them to flow into one another. As the record progresses, they begin to lose their lighthearted charm.

The album starts with a bang, beginning with the single “Rinse Me Down.” Opening with a simple, punchy drumbeat and gentle acoustic guitars that arouse thoughts of the Counting Crows’ hit “Hard Candy,” Jack Steadman’s pleasant vocals carry the feel-good song through three minutes of relaxing and enjoyable listening.

The next track, “Many Ways,” is also nice but in a more melancholy way, and the lead single “Ivy & Gold” has much of the charm of the opener which shares similarities with the stylings of Fleet Foxes.

Following these solid tracks come five tracks of generic acoustica that don’t create lasting memories. Individually, the songs are gentle and listenable but bore and fail to impress when played consecutively.

The final two tracks pick up the slack, at least a little bit, to close off the album. The title track features some simple yet lovely female background vocals that may seem minor, but the minute accent adds to the song tenfold — like how a pinch of salt improves the taste of almost anything. “Swansea” wraps up the record by presenting something new — some electronic “wa-wa-wa-WA-wa”s that give a modern touch to an album that sounds dated, despite being released less than a week ago.

For Bombay Bicycle Club, this album seems to deviate from what they are used to — their debut album drew comparisons to Franz Ferdinand and Vampire Weekend, while this release could be likened to the mellower sounds of Iron & Wine or The Shins. That may not sound like such a bad thing, but when done without the soul or moving power that those artists infuse into their works, it falls flat.

It seems this album may have been made for the band’s fans to enjoy, as they undoubtedly populated forums and their Facebook page with posts yearning for them to unplug themselves and reinterpret their known and loved songs.

This collection of songs should please current fans of the band, but not convert any new ones. There is a standout track or two that will get heads slowly bobbing and feet rhythmically tapping, but everything else is easily forgettable. For the casual listener, the album comes off as a sandwich where the slices of bread are the best part, while whatever is in the middle is not as satisfying as the barbs holding it all together.

Grade: C+

This entry was posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2010, 4:17 pm. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.