Single review: The Book Club – The Fantastical Misadventures Of Mr K
‘The Fantastical Misadventures Of Mr K’ is the second release from Sheffield’s The Book Club. Consisting three brothers and their cousin, he first thing that struck me when I heard the four tracks is how they sound like a low rent Arctic Monkeys. The four tracks are all enjoyable enough indie rockers, they have some have punch to them, they have some nice hooks and the singer has a reasonable voice, but the songs are instantly forgettable. The press release draws comparison with Billy Bragg on the song writing front which frankly is so wide off the mark that it’s embarrassing. I’m sure that if I saw them live in a Sheffield boozer they’d provide a cracking night’s entertainment but given an option of buying this or an Arctic Monkey’s album I’d go for the Arctic Monkeys every time, and I don’t really like the Monkey’s that much. At this early stage of their career I think I’d take the opportunity to go back to the drawing board and come up with something more exciting and original. 5/10
Mark Cousens
Out now
http://www.myspace.com/thebookclubofficial
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are you aware that the lead singer of the book club was the lead singer of milburn? the band that the arctic monkeys were supporting while the blew up on the internet. while milburn were written off by misinformed assumption making journalists such as yourselves as rip-offs of the arctic monkeys. this simply wasn’t true and for now after that brilliant band went to the sword you criticise joe carnall for sounding too much like basically himself as he tries desperately to differentiate himself from the band that so brilliantly took the niche that he, tom rowley and the rest of the scene had carved out. i wish i could say that you need to do some work to make it in your business but you would probably fit right in with the nme and their arctic monkeys fixation that killed off and entire scene of talented musicians.
Hey Michael, I am aware of that but if I’d used Milburn as a reference instead of the Artic Monkeys then no one aside from a few hardcore Milburn fans and the band’s friends and families would have got it! Milburn may have got there first but the Arctic Monkeys had better songs and that’s what it’s all about.
Michael you’re spot on – it is a matter of opinion and that’s the whole point of a review, though I think you put too much stock in its power; I’ve never let one reviewer’s opinion stop me from listening to something and I bet you haven’t either. The fact remains that whether Joe sounds like Alex or Alex sounds like Joe, neither of them sound fresh or exciting and THAT is the problem!
look that’s a matter of opinion and people need opinions of people such as yourselves i undesrtand that. However, what you have written will stop people giving the book club fair go, which would be fine but NOT when this is based on the idea that joe carnall is trying to copy the arctic monkeys, when you have admitted to me that you are aware he is not. joe carnall’s music will always sound like AM because AM sound like milburn (it’s irrelevant if they were better they came after)so surely you can see it’s unfair to give people the impression that you have that the book club are copy cat wannabes. apart from anything, the book club’s MUSIC doesn’t sound very much like AM or milburn. i didn’t hear any yamaha keyboards in send in the boys or teddy picker did you?
i take your points, they are valid and fairplay to you. if i’m honest you are probably getting anger that should be directed at another reviewer. When describing a gig where milburn supported AM he said something like “milburn liked AM so much that they have set up a tribute band” (when the reverse is far more true) stuff like that killed milburn and as milburn were my favourite band of all time it really got to me. In the interest of letting the book club’s MUSIC be the thing that is judged i just wish reviewers such as yourself would not compare them to AM without at least a short sentence stating that they are not ripping them off from scratch, they are not a tribute act, they are at least trying to be fresh. then whether you think they’ve succeeded or not is down to you. Finally!!!! i’d like to thank you very much for your time, i can assure you it has been very much appreciated!