No excitement here! (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

No excitement here!

10:04am Monday 13th June 2011 in CD Reviews By Telegraph & Argus

Thomas Tantrum – Mad By Moonlight (Stranger Records) ***

This is the second offering from Southampton-based Thomas Tantrum. The first met with critical acclaim from all and sundry and it will be interesting to see if they get the same response for this album. Made up of songs all about sleep, bed, dreams and all things nocturnal, the album bounces along with rhythms of indie-pop (is there such a thing?). It’s a pleasant enough experience to listen to, and there is no doubting the band’s talent, but there is precious little to get excited about. It all seems to have been done so many times before. Still, you can make up your own mind if you want to see them live at Milo in Leeds on June 23.

Nigel Goodman, 53, teacher, Heaton

Baseballs – Strings ’n’ Stripes (Warner) **

When the stimulate sound of the crackly needle made the intro, one just knew that retro-50s would descend from the speakers. Described as “a global internet phenomenon”, the Baseballs recycle do-wop, surf sounds and `blue-eyed soul’ styles to contemporary pop hits like Candy Shop, Hello and California Gurls and are apparently so successful they topped the UK iTunes album charts with their last offering. For the buyer, it’s much better to get a decent various artist soundtrack of the 50s than to listen to copycat stuff.

Reg Nelson, 60, Heaton

Moby – Destroyed (Mute Records ***

If there is one thing that Moby excels at, it is creating eerie and surreal tracks that are strangely-captivating. This, his ninth studio album, showcases this talent well and demonstrates that music does not need to be loud or outrageous to be good. However, the album lacks serious standout tracks that are so evident in previous albums, such as Play’s Natural Blues and Porcelain or 18’s Extreme Ways. Moreover, in taking ambience to rather the extreme, the vocals are a little too understated and relegate the album into the realm of background music which is a tremendous shame.

Charlotte McCallum, 20, student, Bradford