You Me At Six - Jealous Minds Think Alike Single Review (2008)

A single review for AltSounds.com.

Once upon a time, Emo used to be the music of the US. Young American bands dominated the scene from Green Day to Bowling For Soup to New Found Glory and UK bands didn't even try to compete. Ever since Busted appeared with their infectious brand of Brit-emo-pop, the genre has been wide open. This has lead to bands like Lostprophets, and more recently Proceed, to venture into this new world bringing in heavier guitars and a more mature sound. To counteract this respectability, and in the wake of Busted, we have the mighty McFly. With the industry in the palms of their grubby little hands, they backed off into the safety of mainstream pop. Why? Because the UK cannot do Emo. Not in its purest, exuberant and vibrant form. But now there is You Me At Six.

'Jealous Minds Think Alike' gets right into the action with a torrent of crashing drums and squealing guitars. Lead singer Josh Franceschi comes in as the music predictably drops. His voice is not as whiny and as nasal as you would expect - it has a wonderful resonance and he sings with urgency and passion. The uplifting chorus soon appears: "You can be the ghost in my hall. You can be the smile I don't want. I'll be the fly on your wall". Franceschi quickly shrugs off the metaphors and gets straight to the point for the second half: "You can be the distance in between. You can be everything I need. You'll be the girl I don't call". A typical well put anti-love song, full of controlled angst designed to make us sympathise (and empathise) with the subject. So far so good. Another chorus, more thumping drums and two and half minutes later, the song threatens to run out of steam. Franceschi gives us a couple of seconds of earnest crooning before the big outro.

The big problem You Me At Six will face is individuality. With such a strict genre and the necessity to push the right buttons, the band have limited scope for expansion. Fans will expect, no demand, a huge barrage of guitars and drums followed by a delicate drop to some crooning vocals, then more of the same. That is the formula. But the key here is just a small amount of diversity and good songs. The sound is already there. At the end of the day no one is going to search for the hidden depths of musical talent while they are playing this loud and bouncing off the walls. This does what it does. And for this reason alone 'Jealous Minds Think Alike' is a decent lead single.

With a debut album waiting in the wings and much to prove, You Me At Six look and sound like an interesting prospect. But then again, the alternative is McFly. And none of us want that.

-- CS (for Altsounds.com)