The Research are a band, a band a band a band a band a band a band a BAND. This may sound like it’s a pretty obvious statement. Unless they’re one of those solo projects that have a name like a band then it pretty much goes without saying. But that’s not really my point. My point is that there is just something so hopelessly band-*like* about The Research, like they could just be generic image #1 when you *think of a band*, they just sound like… a band. A band of people playing songs. I think its mostly in the drumming. I don’t really like the drumming. Its really dull and just what you would play if you’re “playing the drums” in a band. There’s something strangely dated about The Research, like they’re still in 1998 or something, and they’re on tour with The Delgados. I do quite like them though. I like Russell’s voice and I do quite *like* the way the songwriting sounds so late-90s indie-pop mid-level tempo/quality. I really want to root for The Research. I’d like them to do really well. Or get the opportunity to travel back in time, or something. I think its something there in Russell’s voice that would make giving a bad review to The Research feel like beating up a puppy. It wouldn’t be fun and people would give you evil glances afterwards. But would it be easy? Oh, I dunno. Lets not stretch the puppy metaphor *too* far. You know they used to be signed to EMI? I don’t know about you, but back in 2006 when (apparently) their debut came out, they just toootally passed me by. Were they big or something? Meh. Their old stuff has a keyboard instead of a guitar too. It’s maybe slightly better like that, but somehow it’s still functionally the same.
And, you know, I think there *is* actually a problem with this record. And it’s not necessarily that it’s bad. It’s just that I never *want* to listen to it. If I didn’t have to review it, I probably wouldn’t have bothered to listen to it all the way through. Its just so… I mean, it should be good, its should be nice, its poppy, its pleasant, their singer’s good and stuff, boy-girl… elements, you know. But compared to what else is around in that broad category, The Research have been completely outmoded and outmanoeuvred by Johnny Foreigner, Los Campesinos et al. I like to think of the indie-pop scene we’re living in at the moment as post-Unicorns. Well, The Research are still very much living in a pre-Unicorns world. And *that’s* the real big problem with this record. Yeah.
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Post-Unicorns?
Unicorns had like so few good songs I could count them on one hand.
Also, The Research’s first album is an absolute indie classic.
mmhmm
The Unicorns were absolute pop geniuses. Them and Max Tundra are the most seminal indie-pop acts of this decade, FACT. Well there’s probs something else too that I’m missing, but anyway yeah The Research ARE dead old-fashioned.