The Research – The Old Terminal

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. 55%The Research on Myspace