EP review: The Crookes – Dream of Another Day
In lieu of their forthcoming full length debut album, Sheffield quartet The Crookes have put together ‘Dream of Another Day’ as way of clearing the decks of their older songs, some of which have never been released. The romantic indie popsters formed in 2007 after meeting at Uni. I know what you’re thinking - ‘uh oh, another pretentious art school band’ but no! These four boys from Sheffield, home of art school heroes The Human League and Heaven 17, actually met while studying literature though that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not pretentious!
‘Dream of Another Day’ features 7 tracks including a stripped down cover of Richard Hawley’s ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’, which made me do a double take as it sounds like Gene. Generally the songs are nice enough; lead track ‘Backstreet Lovers’ features some nice handclaps and ‘Yes, Yes, We Are Magicians’ features some highly unusual beatnik style finger clicking while minute long closing track ‘Mrs Porter’ sounds like a carry-on version of an Oscar Wilde ditty.
Pretentious? Not really, but it’s also nothing new. There’s nothing actually wrong with ‘Dream of Another Day’ but is a little too close to another bunch of indie romantics; the Crookes sound like a safe version of the Libertines, i.e. a band for those who find Pete and Carl a bit too ramshackle and intimidating. 2/5
Mark Cousens
Out now on Fierce Panda
www.myspace.com/thecrookesmusic
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