I think it’s probably fair to say this is the year’s first eagerly awaited album, well it certainly appears to be eagerly awaited if you believe all the hype flying around about this record and let’s be honest, hype always has been, always will be and, according to many, always should be massively important when it comes to the next great British guitar band.
So are Pastel the next great British guitar band? Based on the band’s debut album ‘Souls in Motion’ I’m afraid I’m not convinced, especially in the face of some of their outstanding peers.
Whilst underwhelming, it’s not a bad record. It’s perfectly acceptable. It’s very Mancunian, VERY Mancunian and if I’m honest, well, at times it almost feels a little bit too Mancunian. Manc by numbers perhaps? And that is a real shame as firstly, Pastel are not a Mancunian band and more importantly, some of the tracks on the album do show that Pastel have the potential to be something truly special.
‘Dancing on a Pin’ mashes elements of The Mondays but lacks authenticity and in fairness, I don’t think the track’s video helps.
‘Isaiah’ with soaring dream-like vocals and swampy guitars channels The Verve at their finest and is probably the best of the tracks that very clearly came out the band’s rehearsal room sessions.
‘Deeper Than Holy’ carries on this totem but just falls a bit flat, failing to lift off despite plenty of opportunities
But then two tracks in particular really do jump out.
’Leave a Light On (Velvet Storm)’ is outstanding. It is such a highlight with such a different feel from the rest of the record it could almost be another band. Along with the album’s closing track ‘Escape’, it is perhaps these tracks that show glints of why so many are excited by this band.
Forever the optimist, I will assume it is these two tracks that show the true Pastel and signal the direction the band is heading. When they get there, and I have no doubt they will, they will certainly be something special.
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