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A Different Kind of Fix

Bombay Bicycle Club(Universal Island Records)

Our Rating: star star star

It’s hard to carve out a place in the indie-driven digital universe where there’s a new YouTube star every 15 seconds. Maybe that’s what has caused Bombay Bicycle Club to sound like a different band on each of its three albums in just three years. This set the group offers itself as a modest British indie pop/rock outfit — and one that hasn’t translated much of its U.K.-flavour-of-the-month success to North American tastes yet and maybe won’t. At its best, the vibe here  recalls the folky shimmering psychedelic pop vibe of Dream Academy and Tears For Fears. The blissed-out summery sound  of  How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep" is that kind of hypnotic trance-like pop built on a haunting guitar riff with vocals by from singer/songwriter Jack Steadman sounding like those of Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold. Shuffle, an iPod advert waiting to be discovered,  could be the return of Tears For Fears replete with bubbling synths and reverb heavy guitars, electric keyboard and chorale-like vocals. Those tracks stand out in a set that’s easily listenable but not particularly memorable  from a soft pop/rock unit still striving to be more than the sum of its influences. Or maybe these tunes are just waiting to bust out of their restrained shell when played live..

Bombay Bicycle Club plays the West End Cultural Centre on Feb. 25. Watch for an interview in next week's issue of Uptown.

 

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