Some albums are really frustrating. They promise so much but ultimately fail to deliver the substance that the listener really craves, hinting at greatness but instead settling for half-baked ideas and overall disappointment. It would be a bit harsh to say that 'Unearth' fits wholly into that description but at the same time this album never reaches the heights that Grasscut really could be scaling.
An interesting sonic palette that ends up somewhere in the region of ambient new age electronica (you don’t need to tell me that there is no such thing) provides 'Unearth' with strong foundations. Although largely electronic, there is something pleasingly organic about some of the compositions here. Some of the melodies are undeniably enchanting as well. Take 'Reservoir', the undoubted album highlight, that reels the listener in with the sort of graceful vocal that should have made No-Man one of the biggest bands in the country.
However pleasing this record is at times though, it remains just that. With the exception of the aforementioned 'Reservoir' this record never makes much of a statement for itself. It’s there, it’s pleasant but one senses that it lacks the forcefulness to become a true favourite. Putting the finger on why this is the case is difficult but it is probably fair to suggest that Grasscut fail to consistently build on the foundations they set out for themselves. Take 'A Mysterious Disappearance' as an example. Upon first listen it is enticing enough but it fails to offer anything more than that later on. It is almost as if this record flows too well, is too organic. The songs are so well trimmed and tidied that after a while they tend to come across as clinical rather than consistently interesting.
Where does this leave 'Unearth'? Well it’s not the most frustrating record of 2012 so far, but it does perhaps end up being the most underwhelming. Perhaps it is rather like the smell of freshly cut grass, pleasant enough whilst it’s there but soon forgotten...and a real bugger for those of us with hay fever. Hopefully Grasscut’s next record will keep hold of the imagination for a bit longer than 'Unearth' manages to do.
'Unearth' is out on Monday 16th July via Ninja Tune.
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An interesting sonic palette that ends up somewhere in the region of ambient new age electronica (you don’t need to tell me that there is no such thing) provides 'Unearth' with strong foundations. Although largely electronic, there is something pleasingly organic about some of the compositions here. Some of the melodies are undeniably enchanting as well. Take 'Reservoir', the undoubted album highlight, that reels the listener in with the sort of graceful vocal that should have made No-Man one of the biggest bands in the country.
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