... One of the bands I felt they got right though were Electric Soft Parade a two piece from Brighton, who released their debut album Holes In The Wall during 2002. At the time the duo were still teenagers but the quality and maturity well beyond their young ages may have suggested. In truth it's ... Read review
Brighton brothers Alex and Tom White may still be fresh-faced teenagers, but Holes In The ... more
Wall, their commendable debut album, could have been recorded at any time in the last 20 years. It bristles with the mysterious melodic chemistry that made Boo Ra...
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Brighton brothers Alex and Tom White may still be fresh-faced teenagers, butHoles In The ... more
Wall, their commendable debut album, could have been recorded at any time in the last 20 years. It bristles with the mysterious melodic chemistry that made Boo Radleys'Giant Stepsand Teenage Fanclub'sBandwagonesquesuch endearingly retrodelic prospects: a wide-eyed expansiveness, a sonic playfulness, and tunes ("Start Again", "There's A Silence", "Why Do You Try So Hard To Hate Me") with hooks so immediate they swagger into your head, grab the comfy chairs and start writing out party invites before they've even reached the second chorus. While on the surface this is traditional guitar fare, beneath the veneer this bares all the subtly applied hallmarks of a rock masterwork--the work of the White brothers themselves, who undertook much of the recording in their bedroom with an iMac, a bank of vintage synths, and all manner of digital mixing programs. The next album, doubtless, will be even better. But right now, as "Silent To The Dark"--think Graham Coxon in full pop Technicolour--phases back in after five minutes of majestic electronic psychedelia, Alex White cooing "When I needed someone to talk to / You were the only one around" it's clear you'd have to have a heart of stone to not be immediately sold. --Louis Pattison
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Brighton brothers Alex and Tom White may still be fresh-faced teenagers, butHoles In The ... more
Wall, their commendable debut album, could have been recorded at any time in the last 20 years. It bristles with the mysterious melodic chemistry that made Boo Radleys'Giant Stepsand Teenage Fanclub'sBandwagonesquesuch endearingly retrodelic prospects: a wide-eyed expansiveness, a sonic playfulness, and tunes ("Start Again", "There's A Silence", "Why Do You Try So Hard To Hate Me") with hooks so immediate they swagger into your head, grab the comfy chairs and start writing out party invites before they've even reached the second chorus. While on the surface this is traditional guitar fare, beneath the veneer this bares all the subtly applied hallmarks of a rock masterwork--the work of the White brothers themselves, who undertook much of the recording in their bedroom with an iMac, a bank of vintage synths, and all manner of digital mixing programs. The next album, doubtless, will be even better. But right now, as "Silent To The Dark"--think Graham Coxon in full pop Technicolour--phases back in after five minutes of majestic electronic psychedelia, Alex White cooing "When I needed someone to talk to / You were the only one around" it's clear you'd have to have a heart of stone to not be immediately sold. --Louis Pattison
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Very Talented, Great Debut Album Disadvantages: Is There much else they can do?
...who released their debut album Holes In The Wall during 2002. At the time the duo were still teenagers but the quality and maturity well beyond their young ages may have suggested. In truth it's a debut that whilst being lauded by NME seemed to miss most people, which was a real shame.
The band are made up of brothers Tom and Alex White who were 17 and 19 respectively at the time of the album's release. In fact the debut caused such ... ...2002's Mercury Music Prize. The brothers collective talents lead to them being able to not only write and record the whole album themselves but also take on the responsibility of playing every instrument on it. With the majority of the record done in their bedrooms they can also claim production credits for large proportions of the album.
In fact the combined efforts of the pair musically are easy to see. The album fits together nicely ... more
Over the years the NME have been known to get a little too over excited about certain bands. In fact back in 2001/2002 for ever one they got right there were about 50 or 60 that in my opinion at least were totally wrong. One of the bands I felt they got right though were Electric Soft Parade a two piece from Brighton, who released their debut album Holes In The Wall during 2002. At the time the duo were still teenagers but the quality and maturity well beyond their young ages may have suggested. In truth it's a debut that whilst being lauded by NME seemed to miss most people, which was a real shame.
The band are made up of brothers Tom and Alex White who were 17 and 19 respectively at the time of the album's release. In fact the debut caused such a stir that it finished as the runner up for 2002's Mercury Music Prize. The brothers collective talents lead to them being able to not only write and record the whole album themselves but also take on the responsibility of playing every instrument on it. With the majority of the record done in their bedrooms they can also claim production credits for large proportions of the album.
In fact the combined efforts of the pair musically are easy to see. The album fits together nicely with a nice mixture of up tempo tracks and slower mellower numbers. The combination of guitars and drums give each track a nice identity that show the band taking their influences from a wide range of sources over the 20 years prior to the album. The drums of course provide a solid backing to each and every track, but the interchange between acoustic and electric guitars seem to really give the tracks some identity. In places the piano also adds a real sense of the band trying something a little different to other bands around at the time and it really worked for them.
While the musical side of the album was a real hit it would have been nothing without the vocals. The tempo and harmony of both their voices work well in the context of the music and I think that's the factor that really made this album such a success. The lyrics work well and for two guys barely out of school at the time they contained more depth and meaning than those of some bands over twice their age. It's clear from the album that they are musicians first and with an overall run time of 52 minutes they really get a chance to showcase their musical ability.
There are a number of tracks on the album that really highlight this including the albums title track "Holes In The Wall" and my own personal favourite "Silent To The Dark". In fact the later was my introduction to the band and while the unedited version runs at some 9 minutes long it is one of the best examples of the band's music. The track has a nice blend of musical instruments and while the vocals are exceptional I think this is by far the best track to highlight just how musically gifted they are.
When I first bought the album I was quite surprised by how each track was slightly different but they all instantly stood out in their own right. They have tried their best to ensure the album isn't too repetitive, whilst at the same time creating a sound that is unique to them. There are clear influences from the likes of Teenage Fanclub and Graham Coxon, but they've developed these influences into making their own sound. A sound that is filled with instantly recognizable riffs and hooks that really draw you into their music.
Overall this is an incredible impressive debut album and one that suggested the band would make great strides with any subsequent follow ups. This unfortunately hasn't been the case and while they have released subsequent albums, they haven't managed to get close to the success of this album. In fact they have even recorded under other band names but I feel they still haven't come close to bettering this album to date. As a debut it was a real hidden gem that still seems to remain hidden to this day, but it's an album I would really recommend people go and find. The combination of classic Indie riffs, combined with a hint of pop music works well for Electric Soft Parade and provides a very impressive debut.
Andy.mack 22.02.2003 (25.11.2008)
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Review of Holes In The Wall - Electric Soft Parade (The)
Advantages: Nice to hear something slightly different, some really outstanding tracks and good promise from the band Disadvantages: A few tracks lack the overall quality, room for improvements, need to deliver a really good album now
...to this their debut album Holes in the Wall, eventually nominated for the Mercury Music prize. Not a bad effort all considered. Both the White brothers were teenagers at the time of this albums release. At just 17, (Tom) and 19 (Alex) their young years hardly seemed to matters as they made an impressive debut onto the musical scene. In fact their ages perhaps give them a fearless approach, and the band are clearly not afraid to be a little different ... ...album, very good.
10. Holes in the Wall
A much softer introduction to the song with a slower pace to the whole track. Takes a bit of time to really get into the swing of it, but it is a nice enough track. More emotional, behind the vocals and music it is a good listen. A change to some of the sounds of surrounding tracks, but a good quality track.
11. Biting the Soles of my Feet
One of the best tracks on the album overall with the penultimate ...
Padds 13.01.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Holes In The Wall - Electric Soft Parade (The)
Advantages: Impressive Debut From Two Young Brighton Brothers Disadvantages: The Album Ends.
Holes In The Wall is the debut album from this impressive Brighton based duo of brothers. Amazingly the White brothers, Tom and Alex are aged just 17 and 20, and are musically talented far beyond their years. Between them they play all the instruments, drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, drum machines, piano, bass guitars and synths. As a live act they pull in a bass guitarist and a keyboard player, but amazingly the brothers hop about on stage swapping ... ...So Hard To Hate Me
Holes In The Wall
Biting The Soles Of My Feet
Red Balloon For Me
Certainly recommended by me, and whilst I love music, I do find it hard to truly describe a sound, so please be gentle in your comments! From time to time I just have to tell my fellow Ciao readers about something that is so aurally pleasing to me. Released February 2001, on db Records – Catalogue number for the CD is db002cdlp.
www.electricsoftparade.com is ...
alflavor 20.02.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Holes In The Wall - Electric Soft Parade (The)
Advantages: Shows plenty of potental Disadvantages: tends to drag in parts
Following in the footsteps of Ocean Colour Sceen, the Inertnational Nosie Conspiray and many other The Electric Soft Parade made a name for them selves by sticking 3 random words together, or so it would seem...They were actually called The Soft Parade, but someone had that name so they stuck Electric at the begining and voila, you have a band name. Another fact about them is that the drummer writes most of the lyrics, original.
The debut album ... ...in early 2002, but saddly like many others don't quiet live up to it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good album, but just not as good as it was made out to be. If this album had been something I picked up with out hearing much about them then I would have thought it was great, but it just leaves you with a 'is that it' feeling at the end.
However, there are some great tracks on it and their indie pop sound could make it's way in to the charts. I also ...
terrygallagher 09.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Holes In The Wall - Electric Soft Parade (The)
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