Spectrum 7 - Fade to Black and Back Again
Louis Chatten | Friday, 05 September 2008
Starting from the name of the EP, to the name of the band, the first contradiction is obvious and this theme is followed through to the first track 'Serafin', which has a colourful and exciting intro which is blasted into your ears, but is then closely followed by very mellow vocals which brings you down from the excitement a little.
The electronica input to the music is surprisingly subtle too but effective as it works well with the vocals and isn't overloading on bass which seems to be the downfall of a lot of electro bands. Spectrum 7 however have incorporated catchy synth snippets which can get you robo-humming along during the short instrumental breaks.
Then you have 'Piano' which is a song that does exactly what it says on the tin. A track which is dominated by the sounds of a piano, with no lyrics and no fun. Basically, an uneventful instrumental which could have been placed on the EP to express the bands flexibility and musical talent? Not exactly the smartest move for a debut release.
To contrast the outdated 'Piano', you are greeted by the next and final track 'Panic'. Again, Spectrum 7 deliver another song which is slightly different from the rest, but this time it's something a lot more thoughtful and keeps you engaged in the music. A great tune to end with.
For a band with such a colourful name, this slightly down-beat EP is not doing them the best of favours as it seems the short lived trend for emo-electronica has been and gone. It is certainly clear that they have a lot to offer and hopefully the debut EP is just a small taster of what is yet to come!
Rating: 3/5