1001 Albums Summary

- Very stripped-back/minimalistic - Simple guitar lines which seem to take emphasis over the vocals, distracting from the driving force of the album - Unenthusiastic vocals (bored?) - Romy's vocals can be driving, but most of the time sounds disinterested - Romy and Oliver's vocals do complement each other (evident on 'Islands') - The synth towards the end of 'Islands' compliments the other instrumentation, which should've been used for the rest of the album, evident in 'Intro' which ironically is one of the standout tracks, when it should be setting up for the subsequent tracks - As background music, it partly fulfils its purpose, however, it lacks any driving emotion to make it worth paying particular attention to listen to - The drums and bass sound very mechanic, and the simple, repetitive beats leave much to be desired - 'Shelter' is definitely one of the best tracks, with its evident pop influence, which would have been nice to see shown a lot more throughout the album - The reverbed guitar on 'Shelter' is a tone which should have been utilised more, as it makes an easier listening experience, complimenting Romy's monotonous vocals much more than the dull guitar tone found in the majority of the tracks - Some replay value, however a lot of the tracks do blend, creating a forgettable listening experience - Oliver's vocals are uncommon but can be standout on the tracks he features on, again which would have been nice to see shown more - Good lyrical work, but it can only be praised when reading the lyrics separately, as the vocal work is not particularly standout - At points, I hadn't realised that a new track was playing, as many sounded very similar - The final track has some emotional impact at points, but the minimalistic design and bland vocals doesn't leave anything to be remembered - I looked up synonyms of 'dull', which is never a good sign when writing about an album, but I feel that that word summarises this album entirely, there is no particular standout track, and each track is comprised of simple guitar lines, with mechanical drums and bass, and a very monotonous vocal delivery. I feel like the album had the potential to achieve so much more, maybe if they lent into more of their pop influences, but this album falls flat, achieving no emotional impact. I would consider replaying this album as background music, but it would be difficult to replay it solely for its musical value.