James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
Their debut album Losing Sleep is a musical buffet for fans of easy listening rock – a concoction of The Script and Maroon 5 with the funk dialled down, an Americanised Scouting for Girls and a more cheerful OneRepublic. They wouldn’t be out of place as background music to a teenage TV show like One Tree Hill or the soundtrack to a movie in a similar vein.
But I do not mean to undermine some of the irresistible hooks they’ve cooked up on this release; first track ‘All That I Am’ is a melodic feast even after only two listenings, while ‘Back Again’ is a toe-tapping delight. The romantic ‘She Is Love’ comes in two incarnations: an upbeat head-bopping one and a slowed-down acoustic version. Being the same song, it’s impressive what different emotions the two provoke within you. My personal favourite, ‘The Mess I Made’, is apparently going to be their first single, and sensibly so; the ballad builds up from simple piano melancholy to a full-on emotional rock song that sticks with you (I currently have it playing on repeat...).
Perhaps the greatest strength of this album is that after only listening through once, the second time going round the satisfaction it grants unexpectedly shoots up, showing potential as an album that will be on the iPod often. But what’s weighing their possible success down is they have not put enough of an effort into making themselves distinctive – in more ways than one. The name ‘Parachute’ is unlikely to stick with you, not to mention the inevitable confusion that arises when you search ‘Parachute’ on music websites to come up with a group called ‘Parachute Band’, not to mention Coldplay’s ‘Parachutes’ and Cheryl Cole’s ‘Parachute’. Team that with the members’ floppy-haired cutesy appearance and a musical style which is commercial yet unoriginal, and I’m left wondering how easily these guys are going to find their niche market and win over fans. Still, with the right promotion this could be their year in the UK.
Parachute’s ‘Losing Sleep’ is available on Spotify and can be downloaded on iTunes
You must log in to submit a comment.
