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9 out of 10
Being from the city myself, it's certainly been a journey seeing this Oxford four-piece get to the stage now where they're releasing their debut album with well-respected Xtra Mile Recordings. What's even nicer is that this album really is something that these chaps can be very proud of. These eleven tracks showcase a unique approach to very handsome song writing; there are twisting melodies with ethereal grandeur and epic breakdowns with fantastic piano work that only enhances the very individual sound that this band are producing. Album opener and earlier single "Sleeping Pills" encompasses all of this in a little over 4 minutes with such grace and maturity that I'm astounded as to why this hasn't been all over the airwaves in recent months. "Julie June" and "You Will Leave A Mark" only enhance this notion, and the guitar work and almost haunting vocals that intertwine with the piano on tracks like "Lamplight" and "Ghosts In The Water" are reminiscent of latter day Radiohead, but with a slightly more earnest approach. Lyrically, Rob Stevenson has truly mastered the art of intelligent commentary through thought-provoking lines with enough sincerity to avoid pretension, but at the same time conveying the precise emotion and meaning that was intended.
Somewhat sickeningly, 'The City That Sleeps' is as equally well produced as it is written, and it's hard to find any flaw with this album at all. All I will say is that there's little variation between these tracks, and a number of the songs are strikingly similar to one another, but this isn't a bad thing when the song-craft on display here is of such a high calibre.
Miss this album at your peril - it really has been worth the wait.
Listen: www.myspace.com/aslientfilm
Tracklist:
1. Sleeping Pills
2. Julie June
3. Thirteen Times The Strength
4. One Wrong Door
5. Lamplight
6. Gerontion
7. Feather White
8. You Will Leave a Mark
9. Highest Regard
10. Ghosts in the Water
11. Aurora
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