the fallout trust - in case of the flood
from the start the alarm bells were ringing when this bands records started appearing in the post. from their beautifully simplistic logo'd single promos, to the introductory cd-rom with all manner of interviews and images, it became obvious that someone with money has high hopes for this lot. subsequently, when the album turned up with its somewhat strange/disturbing/prog rock/mansun-esque cover, my heckles rose. "urgh. not another bunch of guys who take life far too seriously!"
i dropped the cd in the machine and left it to its own devices while i went off and did some chores. a process i managed to complete on more and more occasions than i care to admit. something about the album kept pulling me in, to the degree that for a few days it approached a minor form of compulsive disorder whenever i dug into the pile for something to listen to.
admittedly, the bands love for all things radiohead, coldplay, muse and especially u2, are there for all to hear, but somehow, despite my initial reservations, the end results are very worthy of attention. as is expected for any indie band in the modern world, the fallout trust must have their eye on the 'how to write a classic big arena anthem' book, but they have also managed to subtly add a few welcome sonic twists and turns making for a far more interesting 45 minutes. whether it's the delicately distorted drum loops of album opener, 'when we are gone', the massively fuzzed up bass line of 'one generation wall', the delicious scratchy piano sample loop of 'them or it', or the reach for the skies chorus of 'where theres no cold to feel' (a track that has such a kickback to a particular radiohead track), but the sheer excellence in the instrumentation and build up with strings just really drive this one all the way. they then follow the intense sensory overload with the centrepiece of the album. the totally fantastic 'tvm', where a echoed/reverbed piano provides the focal point, while the voices are layered with synthetic treatments. making the song become rather special. this gorgeous deviation is a one off, as the album then gets back on course with 'cover up the man' being the crowd pleaser, more easy chorus chantalongs, more intense guitars ('hello edge - i love your work'), and a worrying level of mania being displayed in the muse-like finale.
of course, it's rare for a band to make a totally consistent album, and the one big mess is 'washout', something about the jaunty knees up mother brown guitar riff reminds me of the fucking libertines, and that just wont do. thankfully, 'one generation wall' obliterates the memory of that particular mishap with a love for processed distortion and more of those 'everything but the kitchen sink' moments.
once released, i know the album will be loved by a certain generation of students, who will divulge the lyrics with a passion, the band will establish a solid devoted fanbase, and if there were a glastonbury this year, there could have easily been a legendary moment happening if the sun happened to shine during the epic final part of 'your message', but i am concerned that in 12 months time the fallout trust will begin to wonder "what ever 'appened to the cooper temple clause?", another band who played the rock music with technology overdubs and paint stripping guitars. lets just hope the fallout trust make it through their second album to prove me wrong, because on the strength of this beautifully crafted (and i make no mistake - this album has been well and truly crafted) album, they deserve the chance to get to make another.