Review Summary: Energetic, fresh and storming pop-punk from British starlets.
PAIGE
If You Say So EP
Despite not being a household name, and practically unknown outside of Southern England, Paige have been causing quite a stir over the past few years. They released their debut EP, If You Say So, in 2006. Since then, the band has embarked on national tours, are about to tour with British electro-pop starlets Go:Audio and are preparing their upcoming debut full length.
However, it won’t be long before the band is cemented on TVs and radios across the country. Their uplifting style, coupled with their somewhat tasteful technicality and impressive song writing make them a sure fire hit.
So what is so special about this band? Well, yes they play in Drop D all the time. Yes they don’t often follow unoriginal chord progressions. But the way in which they pull it off is unlike almost any other band of the genre. Oh, and the singer looks like a goat, just sayin’.
The EP kicks off with ‘Dear Heartstrings’, an upbeat opener, filled with cool riffs, glorious hooks and soaring vocals. The vocal harmonies these guys create are so uplifting it’s often unbelievable. Plus they come up with some pretty cool lyrics:
‘Dear Heartstrings can you play me your song,
And I’ll try my best to sing along.’
Next up is ‘This Is How We Roll!’ which is by no means a bad song, but I don’t think I’ve ever found myself putting the CD on for the song specifically. The keyboard is more audible here, but the song is probably the most straight forward on the CD and it lacks something, I’m just not quite sure what.
Then we have one of the singles, showcasing one of the best names for a song ever: ‘You Got Guts (Shame We Have To Clean ‘Em Up)’. Again, it’s still (for the most part) the three chords that dominate many pop-punk bands, but they are used to create some cool riffs and melodies. The drummer really shines here; fast hands and cool double bass work compliment the song perfectly. The vocals on here really do stand out above all else, though. Accompanied by group chanting and a somewhat strange moment in which the backing vocalist somehow regressed to being a schoolgirl, this is the real anthem and gem of the CD.
Next we have the ‘ballad’, albeit a rip-roaring anthemic ballad, ‘Silhouettes’. One thing drastically lets down this song though, and that is the production. All the other tracks on here are mixed really well, except for this one. Another problem is, it is played to slow, about 10 bpm slower than it is live, and so the anthem that could have been is lost. The song does show obvious potential, however, with a huge chorus and beautiful guitar work, if remixed for an album, this will be one of the highlights of said CD.
The CD comes to a close with the lead single, Actions. A strong closer, yet again Paige show why they are a force to be reckoned with, interesting structures, fantastic musicianship and angelic vocals.
Fanboy much? Probably, but for good reason. Over the next few months these guys are really going to take off, and when that happens, everyone will know.
www.myspace.com/paigeuk
