 The six track A Demonstration Of Intellectual Property is being released a precursor to a full-length effort due in August. There's not much here - you can write off the throwaway Tinylittle for a start - but as a taster from this emerging one-man army it does the job.
Some comparisons just beg to be made, and you can guarantee that you'll see the name of Radiohead alongside that of Mellowdrone in more than a handful of articles this year. Jonathan Bates just loves to break into a yearning falsetto as if his nuts were in a vice, but Mellowdrone's frequent attempts to get noisy puts them firmly into the box marked Muse - at least some of the time. If you figure that means it's a bit pompous and overblown then you'd be right, but the layered aural cinema of tracks like Beautiful Day provide a perfect backdrop for Bates' high notes and abrasive guitar. A bit of self-importance goes with the territory.
And the rest of the time? Well this is where it gets clever, because Fashionably Uninvited and And Repeat keep the alternative edge without alienating the mainstream. This stuff could be ideal for alternative radio, A comparison? The Catherine Wheel's post Bush alt-rock - y'know, "Come on Daisy don't drown me this time." You'd forgotten about them hadn't you?
A few years ago the concept of a 'new Radiohead' seemed very appetising, but now we've got Muse, Aqualung, Martin Grech . . . dammit, even Coldplay and Turin Brakes if you want a little variety. Is there room for Mellowdrone? I don't know, but I do know that this release is worth checking out if you like any of the bands I've mentioned above. Too tight to shell out for a new CD? Go to the Mellowdrone website and download this EP for free. Yes, really. :: Rowan Shaeffer |
