Album review: THE IDOL DEAD – Dark Little Hearts

Raaa! Records [Release date – out now]

The Idol Dead were formed in Leeds back in 2008 with the five members having eclectic musical tastes which were tapped to produce the band’s sound. They bill themselves as ‘five men hell bent on making an entertaining racket’ which hits the mark well. Rock mixed with a healthy dose of punk attitude is the order of the day and the band’s enthusiasm is infectious.

Opening track ‘Blue Skies’ kicks off with a bouncy riff which romps along, instantly bringing Welsh wonders ‘The Blackout’ to my mind. The comparison continues on ‘Six Feet Under’ which is up next, melodic, singalong tracks which bring a smile to your face.

‘Vampires’ then changes direction a little with an off kilter chorus which keeps things interesting. In fact the band’s ability to steer songs in different directions to which you would expect shows a maturity in the guy’s song writing, ‘Hey Girl’ is another good example of this. ‘Bad Fiction’ ups the pace with a full on rock out before the tempo changes once more for ‘I’m Drowning’ where lead vocalist, Polly Phluid, shares the mic with Claire Cameron to good effect.

The music changes again for ‘You Don’t Know’ which is a more straightforward rock song in the Shinedown mould. The album is then rounded off with the rapid ‘I Don’t Wanna’ and ‘Beautiful Disaster’ which has a fantastic mid-section with a huge riff, a good way to round things off.

This is the band’s second album which was recorded after a Pledge campaign and in my opinion it was money well spent. I must try and catch the band in a live setting because if the album is anything to go by, they will be a blast live. ****

Review by Dave Wilson

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LEONI JANE KENNEDY Closer (indie)
SMALL TOWN POLITICS Red Lights (indie)

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