I’ve never understood why bands start their records with an intro. For me, it’s important to make an immediate impact on a listener, for younger bands putting your best song first can pull in a reviewer and make them listen for longer than they may otherwise have done. That’s why I think opening up with a sampled selection of noises and whizzes seems to be a strange choice that, in my opinion, doesn’t do Blacktop any favours. At just five songs in length anyway it does use up a track, but it also means I skip the first song every time – surely not the best start a band can wish for?
The Derby mob do have their plus points though. They’ve honed a very My Chemical Romance-esque sound that, thanks to Mighty Atom Studios, sounds thick and well produced. There are minor samples and effects and, all in all, it sounds good. The songs themselves, in the main, are good too. There isn’t a world-beating track here, and MCR won’t be quaking in their boots, but this is a solid and respectable first release. It’s just I’d like to hear a little bit more. The four proper songs here whet the apetite; ‘Press Play To Stay Alive’ is a keeper, ‘Five Days (Click Here To Fall In Love)’ a cracker and the closing ‘Every Letter Written Is A Waste Of Ink‘ shows promise.
Vocally the band are pretty good too and the general level of musicianship is solid, but I’d just like to see the band take things on a notch, make the choruses catchier and stamp their own authority on things a little bit. It’s difficult to form a complete opinion on just four tracks, but this is headed in the right direction. I guess only time will tell if Blacktop can move on and become a heavyweight in the UK scene.
Paul