The Liaison

Start From Scratch

Written by: TL on 10/01/2011 22:28:48

Apparently I went a little overboard with the rant-to-review ratio in my recent article, so PP has graciously asked me to tone down on the former ingredient for a bit, and since I can't really think of anything overly controversial to say in this particular text, I have for now decided to abide his wishes by being quite to the point.

Tonight's starter is The Liaison, a quintet from Guildford, UK and their "Start From Scratch EP", and let me make it clear that I mean to be as inoffensive as can be, when I say that these boys sound like a dead ringer for You Me At Six. Granted, if you take a song like the second track, "Can We Still Be Friends", the slightly blunt lyrics hint that their ways with words are a bit short of YMAS singer Josh Franchesci's, but on the other hand, the chorus shows that The Liaison have at least as much of a knack for penning catchy melodies.

This feature generally empowers the EP, and in furthering my direct comparison to YMAS, it seems that hooks are more easily and consistently accessible, and The Liaison stand further apart by not attaching every other song with a build-up/climax double-punch at the end. This may cost them a little in terms of perceived intensity of emotion, but to be honest, I actually find it to be a strength of theirs that they aren't.. Well, quite that emo. Even if that's the part I personally love about YMAS, I can join fans of that band's more light-hearted side, as I think they are likely to be as intrigued by "Start From Scratch EP" as I am.

That is of course, if they can get over how much The Liaison sound like YMAS, which needs to be remarked even though I don't want to use it to spell doom for this band at all. They might have to define themselves a bit more characteristically on their next release, but then, if you listen to the small guitar flourishes on ending duo "Start From Scratch" and "Road Trip", there are already a suggestions of better things to come. Moreover, do also notice how the band's singer takes care to give you a tour of the parts of his range he is comfortable as well as capable in, making for less of the dodgy notes that you know from another band that's already been mentioned too many times in this review.

Summing things up and translating these impressions into a grade is a bit of a tug of war, between on one hand the sound's unoriginality, and on the other its obvious catchiness and confidence. The last word is the key word to me, as one thing you have to admit is that this record sounds quite accomplished in terms of both production quality, song writing and performance, and for a band in the early stages of its career, that's always something deserving of appreciation.

7

Download: Can We Still Be Friends, Road Trip
For The Fans Of: You Me At Six, Francesqa, Saving Aimee, The Audition
Listen: myspace.com/theliaisonuk

Release Date 17.01.2010
** Self-Released**

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