It would be easy to instantly discard new Britpoppers South as yet another band trying to cash in on the nostalgic successes of other famous limey rockers of the last decade: Oasis, The Verve and, of course, Radiohead. Although this assumption may not be far off the mark, South mixes enough new elements into the tried-and-true Britpop formula on their Stateside debut, From Here On In, to make them rise a bit above their copycat counterparts.
The album opens ominously with “Broken Head I,” a dramatic and driving instrumental track that sounds like the perfect backdrop for an upcoming Star Wars light-saber battle. The track is all thunderous drums, teeth-jarring bass and maniacal keyboard loops.
This beat-driven departure from traditional guitar rock can be wholly credited to producer and DJ mastermind James Lavelle, who signed South to his ultra-hip Mo Wax record label in 1998. Lavelle produced From Here On In, and his signature rhythm-heavy techniques can be found throughout the album.
The rest of the album, for better or worse, comes across as rather tame compared to the three break-beat instrumentals that pop up at the beginning, middle and end. The single “Paint the Silence” is a Stone Roses-type epic that features hypnotic drums and a rousing chorus that doesn’t seem to get old. Singer Joel Cadbury’s sedated-Liam-Gallagher vocals are in full effect on the bouncy, piano-propelled “Keep Close.” The melancholy yet uplifting “Live Between the Lines (Back Again)” proves another highlight, with Cadbury convincingly singing the song’s chorus/mantra, “Does anybody rule your life?/A right to live between the lines.”
The songs that find South relying too heavily on their obvious influences also serve as the record’s low-points. “Sight of Me” is a seven-and-a-half-minute, drugged-out, aimless waste of time that could easily double as a drugged-out, aimless Verve throwaway. And “Run On Time” sounds like something off of Oasis’ 1997 cocaine-fueled debacle, Be Here Now.
For the track “Here On In,” South borrows the soft-to-loud dynamic that Radiohead used on classics like “Fake Plastic Trees,” and they sound great doing it. Even the most skeptical critic would have to succumb to song’s triumphant climax wherein the first half’s fragile and beautifully harmonized vocals explode into an anthemic, distortion-filled chorus.
From Here On In is an ambitious hit-or-miss affair that, at a whopping 70 minutes, runs about 20 minutes longer than it should. It exemplifies the struggle of a new band trying to shake their influences with varied results. Judging by the album’s promising bright spots and the band’s strong connections to an innovator like Lavelle, the safe bet is that South’s future is looking, well, north. nyou
