February 29, 2008

Guillemots

Red

4 / 10 All those who loved Guillemots’ orchestrally sweeping debut ‘Through The Windowpane’, will most likely loathe this album. You see, Guillemots have unexpectedly gone all R&B on our asses, and not in a good way. ‘Red’ is more a poor parody of the genre than a booty shaker. The biggest culprit is ‘Big Dog’, which sounds like a George Michael track from the mid-’90s, and don’t get us started on the somewhat awful ‘Get Over it’. The forced jollity of the track is like something even Mika would be ashamed of. Frustratingly enough, there are brief moments of clarity throughout, like the psych-rock ‘Last Kiss’ and the gorgeous, twinkling ‘Standing On The Last Star’. If only Guillemots main man Fyfe Dangerfield hadn’t woken up one bright morning believing he could be indie’s Timbaland, this could have been a half-decent return.

Jamie Crossan

Rate this album

Average rating

9.5

NEW! For the latest music videos and backstage interviews, check out our brand new sister site, NME Video.