Tuesday 5 August 2008

Red Light Company - Meccano

A review for The Music Magazine.

I while ago I heard of this band when they appeared on 6music. The single 'With Lights Out' caught my attention. So my alarm bells began to ring when I was sent their new single 'Meccano' and I went back to the band's MySpace page.

Here is the review:

Red Light Company are a new five-piece band from London. After enjoying immediate notoriety from debut single 'With Lights Out', gigs including their first Glastonbury festival, as well as featuring on BBC 6Music thanks to Steve Lamacq, the band release a follow-up.

'Meccano' starts as if the band has just launched into a huge guitar solo (something they agreed never to do). It is a soaring intro of big drums and even bigger guitars before the basic structure of the song quickly becomes apparent - androgynous singer Richard Frenneaux croons emotionally and the rest of the band who can sing, call back to him. The chorus is introduced in similar chant-like style. Unlike the wonderfully deep lyrics of previous single 'With Lights Out', this is a lot more open with lines like: "Crying out loud, the weekend is over" and "Stay up, stay up...Listen to your heart". Bands like Lostprophets have been using this formula for years. And this is no bad thing.

Two minutes in and the shouty backing vocals take over completely leading to the threat of a lull but it soon recovers, into a final rousing chorus. So it repeats but why mess with something that is working? The blend of guitars, piano and vocals is effective and Frenneaux has a great voice, both strong and interesting. It all sounds like the band on the verge of greatness. This is the best song inspired by a model construction kit toy you will ever hear as 'Meccano' is almost three minutes of pure pop perfection.
-- CS (for The Music Magazine 2008)

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