Speedwell - My Life Is A Series Of Vacations

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 7 / 5 / 2002

Label: Ignition Records
Format: CD

intro

"Excellent" four track debut EP from new emo group Speedwell

After tracks on the excellent 'Firework Anatomy' compilation and on Volume Three of Deep Elm’s 'Emo Diaries' series, Speedwell have been awarded their own release, a four track EP on Ignition records. 'Oceans are Armlengths', their contribution to 'Firework Anatomy, gives a good idea of what people can expect. A very pretty song backed by just enough guitars for it still to be emo, it was very original but not in any way awkward. Of all the bands on the compilation it probably wasn’t the best song but definitely was one of the most likely to have appeal to fans of indie/rock as well as emo fans. Comparisons to Saves The Day, Weezer and the Promise Ring were not unfair. The opening track kicks off with a strange blast of keyboards, not dissimilar to Reggie And the Full Effect, but mutates into the disc’s most catchy song. The band save themselves from sounding watered down with cleverly sparse instrumentation. The second is similar, though sung by a different vocalist, but if anything is a little more relaxed than the opener. The band explore this dreamy theme further on an acoustic based third track, and then translate it to a full band setting with 'Your Atlantic', which despite being a lot slower is still catchy and tuneful. All four songs are the sort that you’ll want to play again and again, and all are very close to “pop” but, thankfully, are far more sophisticated than many bands who see being tuneful as an excuse to ditch any ideas. This is an excellent single, and one that suggests that Speedwell will soon become one of the most respected emo bands around; so long as they continue to follow the subtle path towards pop music they take here.

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