Sound: Late of the Pier's debut album, Fantasy Black Channel, was probably my favorite album of 2008. It has a VERY 80s synth-pop sound, similar to Gary Numan. The influences are pretty broad on this album. I hear glam and prgressive (Hot-Tent Blues, Bathroom Gurgle), Punk-esque (Whitesnake and Focker) experimental (The Enemy Are the Future, The Bears are Coming) 80s pop (Space and the Woods). Finally, there are the straight-up alt-rockers, like Broken, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, and VW.
The main influences I hear are Gary Numan, a bit of Franz Ferdinand and Bowie, and traces of Nirvana and The Beatles. In fact, there is a bridge in The Bears aer Coming that soudns EXACTLY like Lennon himself wrote it. If I were to call tehm any single genre, it'd be dance-punk. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are pretty crazy at times, but it fits the music quite nicely. For example:
Pineapple pieces in brine
Fucking around with your mind
The lyrics fit the music very nicely, and are creative if nothing else. Samuel Eastgate has a punky baritone voice that can really wail when he shouts. It's not especially good, but you get used to it. // 7
Impression: This is far and away the best album of 2008. It compares to not much else, as they have so many influences in their music. I guess you could say they compare to the Klaxons. My favorite songs are Bathroom Gurgle, Space and the Woods and an instrumental written by Samuel Eastgate nd his Dad called VW. The album remains fresh throughout the whole playthrough and doesn't get old too fast. I downloaded it off of Amazon, so I'd just re-download it if it were lost.
Samuel Eastgate has very interesting guitar riffs, bordering on avant-garde at times. Sam Potter (the synthesist) has very creative lines, wether the be riffs, leads, or pads. Ross's drums are very creative, with a mix between acoustic drums and electronic dance-beats. Faley is an impressive bassist, with memorable riffs in Space and the Woods, Bathroom Gurgle, and Focker. // 10
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