Mashlin sound a lot like Further Seems Forever. Or at least bands of that middle of the road, are-they-emo-or-are-they-rock? bands that sugar-coat their sound in vocal harmonies and pleasurable guitar riffs. Don’t get me wrong, at times I love that kind of music – the first FSF album is ace after all – but when it’s as sappy and predictable as bands like Mashlin, it’s, well, not so good. Infact it becomes a bit boring and unforgiving. 111 Records’ latest signings – a label who also gave us The Spill Canvas – have come up with an enjoyable album, in the short-term, but a record that simply doesn’t break enough new ground to make a lasting impression.
‘Bending Light In The New Directions’ and ‘Autumn’ are poppy gems, but after a few listens the almost soft-rock ballads sound a little too sickly. I do like my poppy music to be saccharine sweet, but there’s not enough substance to make this stick out. Had it been an EP, it would have scored a lot higher – the band are tight and their song structures pleasant enough, but whilst the songs are good when they’re taken on their own, over the full album it just gets dull. ‘Cold Kiss Of A Liar’ and ‘An Evening Underwater With Alex Cross’ are fun tracks with stretch vocals reaching out over some strong choruses, but these moments are few and far between. ’66 Books of Cleansing’ just sounds like a poor man’s Copeland, however, while ‘Violet’ could be a The Spill Canvas b-side. Mashlin are clearly talented, but they need to try and push themselves a little bit if they intend to make a lasting impact.
www.mashlin.com
111 Records
Paul