Scanners - Violence Is Golden
Artist profile:
Scanners
Release Date: 04/02/08
Label: Influx
Rating: ***
Already popular among fellow trendy indie revellers, Scanners guise the type of persona that London fashionite’s can only dream of. No sooner is the stop button pressed during one of their recording sessions, it seems the track is already being remixed by one of their tight jeaned turn-tabalist friends with a funky electronic rhythm flowing through it.
'Violence Is Golden', however is a chance to sample Scanners in their rawest costume as they churn out a mixture of thumping beats and jagged guitars on what is their debut album. It’s definitely a costume in which they feel most comfortable but not necessarily one in which they produce their most effective work.
To get to grips with what makes Scanners tick we’ll direct you straight towards their first two singles, which act as catalysts in what potentially is a middle of the road record. ‘Raw’ injects an electro influence that got London’s underground interested from the start, with Sarah Daly’s vocals confidently commanding the rhythms throughout. On the other hand ‘Lowlife’ stands out with an anthemic feel in its melancholic delivery.
It’s an intriguing introduction to say the least, but what this album has in terms of potential is let down by its lack of consistency. ‘Evil Twin’ for example will have you hooked for a couple of minutes before its repetitive drone like qualities drags you on to a disappointing end.
Even in there rockier moments, Daly and co don’t quite reach the high levels of what their first two singles suggest. ‘Bombs’ heads into No Doubt territory but is hard to take seriously within the fashionable context in which this band presents itself.
That’s not to say there won’t be more singles from this LP but they’ll be songs that tell only half the story of who Scanners are at the moment. The simplicity of opener ‘Joy’ revels in its darkness while the slow building ‘Changing Times’ comes from nowhere to become the albums highlight on a record which boasts very few.
While their remix’s will take the limelight for now, Scanners are a band that can only be promoted within dry comparisons to similar outfits, fans of The Raveonettes might want to take note for example but elsewhere within the musical sea that is London, Violence Is Golden might well float by causing little more than a ripple within a vast ocean.
Sam Tolley
Scanners Myspace
Buy Scanners CDs | Buy Scanners mp3s | Buy Scanners Tickets | Buy Scanners Merch
Release Date: 04/02/08
Label: Influx
Rating: ***
Already popular among fellow trendy indie revellers, Scanners guise the type of persona that London fashionite’s can only dream of. No sooner is the stop button pressed during one of their recording sessions, it seems the track is already being remixed by one of their tight jeaned turn-tabalist friends with a funky electronic rhythm flowing through it.
'Violence Is Golden', however is a chance to sample Scanners in their rawest costume as they churn out a mixture of thumping beats and jagged guitars on what is their debut album. It’s definitely a costume in which they feel most comfortable but not necessarily one in which they produce their most effective work.
To get to grips with what makes Scanners tick we’ll direct you straight towards their first two singles, which act as catalysts in what potentially is a middle of the road record. ‘Raw’ injects an electro influence that got London’s underground interested from the start, with Sarah Daly’s vocals confidently commanding the rhythms throughout. On the other hand ‘Lowlife’ stands out with an anthemic feel in its melancholic delivery.
It’s an intriguing introduction to say the least, but what this album has in terms of potential is let down by its lack of consistency. ‘Evil Twin’ for example will have you hooked for a couple of minutes before its repetitive drone like qualities drags you on to a disappointing end.
Even in there rockier moments, Daly and co don’t quite reach the high levels of what their first two singles suggest. ‘Bombs’ heads into No Doubt territory but is hard to take seriously within the fashionable context in which this band presents itself.
That’s not to say there won’t be more singles from this LP but they’ll be songs that tell only half the story of who Scanners are at the moment. The simplicity of opener ‘Joy’ revels in its darkness while the slow building ‘Changing Times’ comes from nowhere to become the albums highlight on a record which boasts very few.
While their remix’s will take the limelight for now, Scanners are a band that can only be promoted within dry comparisons to similar outfits, fans of The Raveonettes might want to take note for example but elsewhere within the musical sea that is London, Violence Is Golden might well float by causing little more than a ripple within a vast ocean.
Sam Tolley
Scanners Myspace
Buy Scanners CDs | Buy Scanners mp3s | Buy Scanners Tickets | Buy Scanners Merch
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