According to their press release Casino Drive state some of their influences as Nirvana, Radiohead, Brand New and Muse. If they even managed to scrape the surface of these mammoth bands within the three tracks on show I was ready to explode… The thing is, after several plays I couldn’t help but continue to scratch my head and ask where these gargantuan name drops fitted in.
Preconceptions aside, Casino Drive have done a magnificent, if not somewhat slightly confusing job. For me ‘Spin The Truth’ showcases a band that haven’t quite found their niche but have instead spanned a number of genres and produced three very different sounding tracks. Personally I can’t help but be reminded of Fightstar on opener ‘Hands Tied.’ Track 2’s ‘Smile Again’ has a distinct Lostprophets vibe going on, whilst final track ‘Beautiful Lies’ starts off sounding like a homage to ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’ and ends up reminiscent of Jet Plane Landing… quite bizarre you’ll agree.
If you look at the tracks individually they’re anthemic, rhythmic-driven, foot-stompingly resounding efforts that will undoubtedly lead to greater things. However, as a whole it does leave me wondering which musical direction Casino Drive will choose. They’ve only been together for 6 months and the resulting cacophony of sounds does nothing to hide this. To be honest though, I don’t care where experience leads them to, as long as it continues to sound this good.
Rich