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The
Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break
Loose
[1] The Same
Mistakes
[2] Promises,
Promises
[3] New Toys
[4] Talking
To A Brick Wall
[5] Into
My Arms
[6] Blind
Pilots
[7] AIM
[8] Music
Box
[9] In Your
Prime
[10] Written
Apology
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Ah, The Cooper
Temple Clause; the band that launched a thousand haircuts. With
their oh-so-trendy punk-meets-new wave look, the band could have
been an easy target for “style over substance” attacks,
but thankfully their debut LP, 2002’s ‘See This Through
And Leave’ had more than enough substance to see off the critics.
An innovative mix of rock and electronica, it won the band a loyal
following – but nearly two years have passed since, and the
rock scene is now dominated by retro acts like The Darkness and
The White Stripes. So how will The Clause’s progressive electro
sound fare?
First impressions of ‘Kick Up The Fire…’ are a
little underwhelming. Gone are the heavy guitar riffs of the first
album’s ‘Film-Maker’ or ‘Been Training Dogs’,
replaced instead by a moodier, more introspective sound. Album opener
‘The Same Mistakes’ is awash in synthetic strings, and
eventually gathers speed before lurching into the first single,
‘Promises Promises’, one of the album’s few truly
rockin’ tracks. |
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Things
carry on in the same vein, with most songs following the “start
quiet, get louder” formula. There are moments of real energy –
the end of ‘Music Box’ sounds a lot like Rage Against The
Machine, for example – but this new more thoughtful approach means
‘Kick Up The Fire…’ takes a few listens to get into.
Once you do get into it, however, it proves to be just as listenable
as the debut, and even more interesting.
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Just
after the band’s promotional activities for ‘See This
Through And Leave’ had ended, they released ‘A.I.M.’
as a limited-edition one-track single available only through the
NME. Compared to the first album it sounded weak, directionless;
it sounded like a b-side. But the song returns here in re-recorded
form, and it makes a lot more sense in this context. Built around
a crunchy synth loop and vaguely breaks-ish drums, it’s
possibly the best thing on the album.
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Overall
this album sees The Cooper Temple Clause moving forward. Making a little
less noise, thinking a little more. It’s an album of ominous,
rumbling bass and twinkling glockenspiels; of skittering drum machines
and broken guitars; of failing relationships and angry disappointment;
but mostly it’s an album about pushing rock music forward, about
trying new things. It’s maybe not a classic, but it shows us where
rock could be heading in the future, and for that alone the band should
be proud.
Will
Wallace
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