Bombay Bicycle Club's Flaws: Dreamy Brit Pop For A Gloomy Day

Written by  Published in Album Reviews Tuesday, 16 November 2010 14:00
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Bombay Bicycle Club are big in the U.K. As winners of Channel 4’s “Road To V” competition in 2006, Bombay Bicycle Club have garnered critical acclaim for their sophomore release Flaws.

Their sound is definitely not for everyone. For someone like me, who dies for melodic indie pop, it’s great. But the sleepy, low tempo sound of the album could easily bore someone more accustomed to pulsing beats and guitar riffs.

Even I found myself liking the more up-tempo songs on the album better. The pace doesn’t pick up until the 4th track,”Ivy & Gold,” which features a rolling drum beat and a jaunty tune. “Fairytale Lullaby” also pleases with its lovely acoustic guitar melody strumming throughout. Also great is “My God,” which progressively builds tension throughout with desperate sounding lyrics, a continuous piano note and trilling guitars. I only wish it had exploded in the end into a full on song with electric guitars and a drum kit.

The title track “Flaws” is beautiful with a female vocalist joining in and they do a nice cover of Joanna Newsom’s “Swansea.” I usually have trouble accepting covers, but Bombay Bicycle Club did it right. They added their own sound through humming and also added a great synth piano accompaniment.

If you want dreamy Brit pop with a vocalist that sounds like a hybrid of M. Ward and Devendra Banhart, this is a nice addition to the music library. But it must be appreciated for what it is: super low tempo, mellow music. Nothing more, nothing less.

Last modified on Saturday, 23 April 2011 19:29
Liz Livengood

Liz recently returned to her hometown of Portland, OR from San Francisco, where she wrote consumer product reviews forWired magazine. Writing about music has been a lifelong dream for her. She learned about music from her supercool sisters in the '80s, who exposed her to everything from Pet Shop Boys to Slaughter. Known for remembering every song she hears, Liz can never ignore lyrics, which can either make or break a song, in her opinion. When not rocking out at shows, Liz spends time singing a lot of karaoke and playing Rock Band. She can't help being a nerd, okay?

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