aaamusic | On 01, May 2011

It only takes a minute or two of listening to Clock Opera’s latest single Belongings to draw comparisons between them and other contemporary indie acts.  At times the track seems to have an atmosphere and tone you’d normally associate with Keane or Coldplay, a slow depressing number entwined with some uplifting tones, creating a real miss-mash of sounds.  Some of the keyboard work done in the track might even sound Muse-esque, but what impressive me about Clock Opera is they manage to blend several different styles seamlessly into one song.

The b-side for the single boasts a nice guitar intro, although this is quickly soiled by some annoying spacious background noise.  This noise (Unless I have a particularly crap download) manages to ruin the song by trying to step into a more techno sound, something which fails miserably.  Aside from this the other major problem across both tracks is the droning vocals don’t really suit the rest of the band.  The band perform some experimental guitar sounds which don’t really match the vocal qualities of the band, it comes across as almost a cover version because the vocals simply do not match the backing instruments.

Albeit this two track single isn’t enough to judge whether Clock Opera are the next Coldplay or simply another poor indie ensemble like Bloc Party, but the early indications are good with their indie-pop sound.  If they produce similar work to Belongings, they might help to contribute to the slow indie revival that’s been happening this year.  With a spot already booked at this year’s Wireless Festival, they might become a bit of a surprise package for this year.

Author: Tom Crowther