Sunday 26 October 2008

Review - Cutaways - Start Stop! Start Stop!

Cutaways - Start Stop! Start Stop!

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8 out of 10

Cutaways are a rough-around-the-edges indie-pop trio from Belfast who it's easy to compare to Elle s'appelle and Johnny Foreigner because there are three of them - two boys and one girl - they're offbeat, like keyboards and use a melodica. And they've got big hearts like Slingshot Dakota (another boy/girl band who use primarily keys and drums), which makes them as easy to love as all of the above.

Saying that, 'Lovers Are Lunatics' has tumbling Foalsian riffs and a synthetic, pulsing drive that could be an offshoot of 'Atlas' by Battles. Combined with a catchy clatter-pop chorus and some "ba, ba ba's", it loops and skips into the part of your brain marked 'Smile Now'.

'I Spilled Your Drink So You Broke My Heart', a duet between guitarist Paul McIver and keyboard/melodica player Grace McMacken should be the plot of a short film, and when McIver sings, "We belong in the movies" on 'Weapon Of Choice' it brings up images of sun dappled indie romcoms. Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant would probably dig them too.

Closer 'I Don't Understand What You Don't Say' isn't quite as good as the three songs before it, due to the too sugary synths and sounding like 'In The Morning' by Razorlight. There's till enough good stuff in it though to make you think Cutaways are more than worth keeping. "Are we having fun?" they ask. Yes we are, lots of it.

Listen: www.myspace.com/cutaways

Tracklist:
1. Lovers Are Lunatics
2. Weapon Of Choice
3. I Spilled Your Drink So You Broke My Heart
4. I Don't Understand What You Don't Say

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