It’s that time of year again. The NME has jumped up the ass of its latest “it band” thus already handing out the title of “band of 2009”. Who’s the lucky collective this time around? Why it’s none other than the supposedly darkly depressing, post punk outfit White Lies. I’m not one to take the NME very seriously, so is this just another one of those bands we can lump into the category of all hype and no substance? Or is this one of those debut albums that deserves all the buzz that’s surrounding it? I decided to invest some of my precious time in finding out the aforementioned conundrum. White Lies (Formally known as Fear of Flying) hail from Ealing, West London. The band consists of Harry McVeigh on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Charles Cave on Bass and Jack Lawrence-Brown on drums. Under their former moniker, they garnered much attention, but after deciding to take their music into a darker direction, a name change was inevitable, thus White Lies was born.

With track titles such as “Death” and “To lose my life” it’s no wonder the debut from this rather audacious trio has already acquired the tag of dark and miserable, but in a way Ian Curtis would be proud of. With a single listen of this album, the influences are clear. Classic bands of era’s past prove to still be relevant in this day and age. If you listen closely you can hear echoes of Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Cure to name but a few. Not only that, but White Lies seem to share similarities to modern contemporaries such as Editors and Interpol who also seem to have been inspired by the abovementioned acts. One can only assume that bringing back 80’s synth pop is a tried and tested formula and to an extent that is the case, but I’m always up for new takes on tried and tested ideas.

The album opens with “Death”, a well-received single. For a band that seems to have already graduated from the Joy Division school of gloom this song hardly emphasises any darkness considering it’s upbeat tone. Before I heard this track I was led to believe how depressing and dark this band is but this track doesn’t seem to make me want to slit my wrists, quite the opposite in fact. Its upbeat and catchy, the ideal album opener but maybe not what the listener was expecting. A good track nonetheless.

The next track definitely follows the same route as the previous song. “To Lose My Life” is a definite nod to the 80’s with those throbbing bass lines and shrill vocals Simon Le Bon would be proud of. This song is quite popular with the scene kids at my local indie club, which leads me to wonder if this is the direction the band wanted to take their music into? Regardless, the general sound of the song is definitely a lot more pleasant than some of the other songs.

“A Place To Hide” has an eccentric bass line pounding throughout the song. It opens in quite a mysterious manner, it sounds somewhat reminiscent of drum and bass which I go out of my way to avoid, however once the song gets started the signature synth is introduced, and to be quite honest, so far I’m not overly impressed with what I’ve heard so far. Once the first verse gets going thankfully the synth is put on hold and McVeigh’s vocals have been taken into a much deeper direction, which goes perfectly with the rough sounding bass line. Honestly though, there is nothing really outstanding about this song, it just plods along and is not overly memorable.

The next song opens with a repetitive drumbeat. “Fifty On Our Foreheads” is the perfect example of the dejected vibe we’ve been hearing so much about. Everything seems to be taken down a notch and it works incredibly well. McVeigh’s voice isn’t as piercing as it is on other tracks until the chorus kicks in. The synthesiser isn’t as overused either, but is still effortlessly effective.

The next track is quite a poor track in my opinion. “Unfinished Business” could have been so much more with the makings of an anthem with those delicious riffs, but I’m not sure what this song is meant to be. The organ and McVeigh’s wailing can grate at times and clashes very heavily with the impressive rock influences that stand out on this track.

“E.S.T” feels like it wouldn’t be out of place on “Disintegration” by The Cure. This is where the album gets interesting. It appeals to my sullen, tortured, pretentious soul. The repetitive synth guitar pieced together with the dark drumbeats makes one of the albums highlights for me. It starts out mysteriously, at first I imagined this to be produced in the same vein as “The Price Of Love” or “Nothing To Give” which could be classed as the albums slower tracks, however “E.S.T” seems to meet half way between the albums catchier and slower songs.

“From The Stars” is a song that I’m not entirely sure what to make of. It takes a minute to get going and the intro seems unnecessarily drawn out, but once everything sets in, it’s an impressive track. The violins add a bit of a unique touch to the song but at times they feel a bit out of place. This song has quite a few layers to it, which only adds to its appeal.

The next track finally picks up things up. “Farewell To The Fairground” was produced in true 80’s fashion. It gets going instantly, without any dull intros. This song has been pieced together much more impressively than some of the other tracks. The synthesiser is executed far more effectively and gels perfectly with the well-timed drumbeats. This is, for me, one of the standout tracks.

“Nothing To Give” is a song that highlights McVeigh’s powerful vocals. It’s quite a dreamy song that really mainly focuses on the vocals rather than a flurry of instruments. Having said that, the song does get repetitive at times. At some points I do feel that McVeigh could do with toning it down a bit as the subdued tone sometimes clashes with his piercing vocals. The drumbeat that is eventually introduced toward the end of the song brings a major improvement, and makes me wonder if the whole song could have done with it.

The album ends appropriately with “The Price Of Love”. A rather depressing tune. It’s gloomy and miserable with a repetitive thudding drumbeat playing throughout the song. This song is quite simple compared to the others, there’s not a lot going on which only helps the band to project their “dark and depressing” tag. The vocal arrangement also shares a few similarities to “Death” but in a less cheerful way. This song in my opinion isn’t a stand out track, the lyrics don’t particularly do anything for me, and it is at times quite repetitive.

Harry McVeigh’s poignant vocals certainly make an impression. Somehow the listener is made to feel as though it’s a pleasantry

Pictures of To Lose My Life - White Lies

White Lies

to hear a man sing passionately whilst wallowing in his own despondency. However at times, I do start to feel McVeigh’s voice begins to grate on me. After many listens I came to the conclusion that “To lose my life” is a well put together album, but not to the epic proportions we were made to believe. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but the originality is lacking. I’m a fool for anything modern that’s given the 80’s treatment so impressed I was, but breaking boundaries is nothing something White Lies have achieved. Another complaint that I have is in regards to the polished sound, which is prevalent throughout the album. Why the need to produce this album to perfection is beyond me. A slightly raw edge would have meshed perfectly with the albums themes, but the cleaner sound gives the album a slightly more buoyant touch, which at times can clash and unintentionally give the album an upbeat feel. Personally I think this move, intentional or not will help the album appeal to the masses.

Another thing I am failing to understand is how White Lies have been hailed as lyrical geniuses. Comparisons to the likes of Ian Curtis and Steven Patrick Morrissey are simply embarrassing. Some of the lyrics in my humble opinion are somewhat amateurish and the band seems to make morbid references every two seconds, which only reiterates the bands need to be hailed as the new Joy Division. I’ve been lucky enough to see these guys live and I can honestly say they’re one of the more impressive live acts around today. Comparing them to their music doppelgangers Interpol and The Killers, I would say they’ve got a much better stage presence and the notable live shows have only worked in their favour. Word of mouth has ensured good turnouts for their shows.

In truth I wasn’t expecting a whole lot, but that can be blamed on the insane amount of hype that surrounded this band months before the album even graced us with its presence. I find bands that have this much hype surrounding them can only disappoint and in my humble opinion White Lies didn’t really live up to the hype. It’s hard for bands to live up to the likes of the legendary bands they’ve been compared to, but I don’t think White Lies have earned the buzz they’ve been credited with. I’ve had this album for several months now, but no longer feel the urge to listen to it. The initial novelty wore off, and pretty quickly. “To Lose My Life” is a pleasant enough listen, a few good catchy hooks to sink your teeth into, but other than that, it’s really nothing new. If you like post punk collectives with a proclivity to paying homage to the greats of the 80’s, look no further, you might have found your band of the moment. Only time will tell whether White Lies will fade into obscurity, but if their next album delivers they’re probably headed for big things.

Track listing...

1. Death
2. To Lose My Life
3. A Place To Hide
4. Fifty On Our Foreheads
5. Unfinished Business
6. E.S.T.
7. From The Stars
8. Farewell To The Fairground
9. Nothing To Give
10. The Price Of Love