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Album Review

Watch This Fire Spread
Dumb Days, Dark Nights MAR Records

Article written by Ged M - Dec 1, 2009

Watch This Fire Spread: Dumb Days, Dark Nights

A Sheffield six-piece, with another five musicians credited for additional sax, cellos, guitars and vocals, Watch This Fire Spread like to make grandiose orchestrated statements in their multi-sectioned songs. It's a slightly progressive approach to elaborate songwriting; I hear echoes of Elbow, Roxy Music, The Associates, and Antony & The Johnsons in here. But while the vocals are strong and impressive, the effect of the songs aren't up to the same standard, especially when you're wise to the time changes and the rock/ballad tension they use to manage the listener's interest. It's easy to see why 'In Her Head' has been picked for the first single; the album opener is melodramatic, with successive waves of instruments driving on the song, the trumpets blaring really impressively. 'Better Next Time', with its slow and soulful Motown groove, also sounds good, especially the voice of guest vocalist Gina Walters. But the fact that every song feels much longer than the actual length suggests that that the more complex they gets, the less interesting they become.

Links:
http://www.watchthisfirespread.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/watchthisfirespreaduk

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