Deadline - More to It Than Meets the Eye

  by Alex Halls

published: 21 / 6 / 2007

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On hearing Deadline’s new album, 'More to It Than Meets the Eye (MTI)', there’s a sense of disappointment that is hard to push to one side. It’s still a good album but an expectation had been set by predecessor, 'Take a Good Look'. Unfortunately that expectation hasn’t fully been met as 'MTI' pretty much ranks alongside the aforementioned album. This said, there are still tracks here that carry Deadline’s sound to perfection and it’s in songs like 'TV Dreams' and 'Another Day in Paradise' that Deadline excel. The female vocals, with their slight accent, feel pretty much as punk vocals should and the music matches without a doubt. 'MTI' offers up sixteen tracks of solid punk rock that have a heavy flavour of the underground scene. The brass in 'IT Girl' is the album’s first sign of the band’s ska inclusions and instantly increases the levels of vivacity, even if these moments are short-lived. The trumpets make one further, brief appearance in wonderful ender, 'Do Nothing', leaving the listener with a smoking appetite for more brass, right when the music has ended. Occasionally incorporating male vocals into some of the tracks on 'MTI', Deadline are searching for additional harmonies and variation. There are moments, however, where the female vocals would have sufficed, such as in the intro and choruses to 'Sink or Swim'; a track that would have not otherwise been faulted. Their best inclusion seems to be later on, in 'Hate Song'. There’s something unique and appealing about this band. An interesting melange of punk with some heavier guitaring, in the self-titled track, Deadline, ensures that this appeal is instantly clear. By then mixing an acoustic start to 'One Thing Left' with the furious pace of the guitars after, the bond with the band isn’t allowed to decline. Quite the opposite! The album’s finale leaves things on a high note. London-based, Deadline are a band with the ability to make great impact. They certainly have to strive hard to get there and it seems destined to come. 'MTI' isn’t a record to spend much time over. It’s ideal if you’re done with the numerous male fronted bands out there and fancy a change but it feels a touch too rushed. Giving the time to a record to ensure it is just right is essential. Properly invested, the listener can instantly tell and will inevitably reciprocate. Deadline’s appeal may well lie better in person (in concert): where you know they’ve sunk as many pints as you.

Track Listing:-

1 Tv Dreams
2 It Girl
3 Deadline
4 Love Song
5 Sink or Swim
6 By Numbers
7 No Way Out
8 On the Run
9 Violent World
10 Too Many Pints
11 Hate Song
12 Time to Go_
13 Run Away
14 Another Day in Paradise
15 One Thing Left to Say
16 Do Nothing!

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