Reverend And The Makers – No Soap In A Dirty War (Wall of Sound)

Jared Lynn | Monday, 31 August 2009

The Reverend hasn't quite achieved the dizzying success that his friend Alex Turner and Arctic Monkeys have. But with 'No Soap', the Makers continue their steady stream of decent releases which keeps them battling to join the indie heavyweights.

'No Soap In A Dirty War' is a bright, epic and optimistic tune. It follows the blueprint of any indie anthem, starting slowly with simple acoustics as John McClure provides his trademark grainy, rugged yet charming vocals.

It then treads gradually into anthem territory, building up until the Reverend leads the chanting - "I don't wanna die in the same hole I was born/And I don't wanna live if it's all been done before". They're Oasis-esque lyrics; the rock and roll dream of looking towards that shining light in the future, rejecting anything but complete and utter success. 'No Soap' will get the crowds singing at live shows, there's no doubt about that.

Unfortunately, there's still something missing. It doesn't feel grand enough and there's nothing to give that buzz of energy that an anthem should. 'No Soap' is certainly not a bad song, but nothing makes it stand out from the endless number of other indie singalongs.

Reverend and the Makers have kept on a steady course with 'No Soap'. It's not bad, but it's lacking that extra edge and originality needed to push this band further up the indie-rock food chain.

Rating: 3/5