British India - Controller (05/04/2013)
From their humble Melbourne roots, the rag-tag four piece British India have gone from strength to strength since releasing their first full length back in 2007. Throughout their previous albums, British India has traversed and explored some very niche punk sounds, while still releasing music that can be digested with ease. British India have found huge Australian chart success with each album, including their most recent, entitled Controller.
I believe it is important to mention that before sitting down to listen to Controller, I envisioned it going one of two ways: British India could release another record that lended itself to riffs reminiscent of vintage Grinspoon or Silverchair, keeping the more “garage” side of their sound to ring true. The other possible option was that British India could release an entire album that could be played on popular and alternative radio alike to effectively tap into the market of mass appeal.
For better or worse, British India seemed to have chosen the latter option. While songs such as I Can Make You Love Me display some of British India’s best lyrics to date, other songs such as Summer Forgive Me and Blinded feel a little too self absorbed and ultimately lazily put together. While none of the songs on the record can be called bad by any extent of the imagination, I was left feeling a bit deflated and disappointed by the time the final song Crystals came to completion.
British India are starting to sound more like a band and less like a bunch of guys in a basement, with Controller feeling a lot more polished than anything released previously. Although, wipe away the aesthetically pleasing polish and you will find an album that feels as though it has been engineered for mass appeal.
Controller is definitely a big step from their previous records, although it could prove to be a step that will tempt them to eventually flirt too enthusiastically with the whims of popularity and therefore lose a lot of the garage rock integrity that has elevated them to the levels of success they are currently experiencing.
James Versluis
I believe it is important to mention that before sitting down to listen to Controller, I envisioned it going one of two ways: British India could release another record that lended itself to riffs reminiscent of vintage Grinspoon or Silverchair, keeping the more “garage” side of their sound to ring true. The other possible option was that British India could release an entire album that could be played on popular and alternative radio alike to effectively tap into the market of mass appeal.
For better or worse, British India seemed to have chosen the latter option. While songs such as I Can Make You Love Me display some of British India’s best lyrics to date, other songs such as Summer Forgive Me and Blinded feel a little too self absorbed and ultimately lazily put together. While none of the songs on the record can be called bad by any extent of the imagination, I was left feeling a bit deflated and disappointed by the time the final song Crystals came to completion.
British India are starting to sound more like a band and less like a bunch of guys in a basement, with Controller feeling a lot more polished than anything released previously. Although, wipe away the aesthetically pleasing polish and you will find an album that feels as though it has been engineered for mass appeal.
Controller is definitely a big step from their previous records, although it could prove to be a step that will tempt them to eventually flirt too enthusiastically with the whims of popularity and therefore lose a lot of the garage rock integrity that has elevated them to the levels of success they are currently experiencing.
James Versluis