Wake The President - Zumutung!

A Scottish based band fronted by identical twins whose tunes are, by all accounts, hook infested earworms...is this the new Proclaimers album? Sadly not, it's the newie from Wake The President. These guys (twins Eric and Bjorn Sanberg) seem to be pretty good at writing literate pop ditties in the vein of Felt, The Monochrome Set and mebbe even Orange Juice. They even seem to have the blood of alternative rock flooding through their blood pipes, which also gives them a sort of Wedding Present meets Yo La Tengo vibe...which is quite a marriage. This is their second album and though it feels a bit more anthemic and mebbe even brooding than its predecessor, it's still a memorable, quite involving record. The songs are strong if slightly overwrought occasionally, the production is good and it sometimes sounds like Snow Patrol, or Stornaway...which depending on which side yer Mars bar is deep fried is the greatest thing ever or the worst thing ever. YOU DECIDE!! The man at the production helm is Paul Savage (King Creasote, Franz Ferdinand) and he does give the album a somtime's epic sheen. Even though some of the tunes have unneeded gloss, you cant deny the poetic undertow that these guys give to their songs and lyrics...its not too bad this LP...just be prepared for the more Snow Patrol moments...