Ikara Colt - Chat And Business

  by Mark Rowland

published: 9 / 7 / 2002

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There is much hype surrounding Ikara Colt, mainly instigated by British music papers like the NME and Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq, connecting the band with the 'No Name' scene. The band have been placed at the front of the aforementioned scene's assault on lousy music, with many touting them as the 'Nirvana of No Name'. At the same time, many others, however, have slagged off the band, with the main claim on that side being that the band have absolutely no musical talent whatsoever, and that the only way they have got anywhere is by moaning constantly about other bands and scenes to bring attention to themselves. This divide amongst journalists can be seen everywhere, including at Pennyblackmusic, where Ikara colt were praised enthusiastically in an interview with them, but panned in a live review. Curious to see what all the fuss is about, I got my hands on a copy of Ikara Colt's debut album 'Chat and Business', to see what side I would take in a debate that looks unlikely to end at any time soon. So do I love them or hate them? Well for a start I don't hate them. They definitely have some cracking tunes, the best of the bunch being the three singles, 'One Note', 'Rudd', and debut single 'Sink Venice'. All three of these tracks are quite different, while still being equally punchy and catchy, with the band's post-punk sound being a stripped down, Englishified mix of Sonic Youth, and ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, with a healthy dose of the Fall thrown in for good measure. I don't, however, love them yet either. Unfortunately, as good as it is, 'Chat and Business' is caught within the trappings of most debut albums. For all it's great ideas, evident in the singles as well as tracks like the bass-led 'City of Glass', the electronica-tinged 'At The Lodge' and the great lead riff of 'After This', there are a few tracks that use pretty much the same ideas, and as a result they sound a little too similar. Also, on a couple of tracks their ideas are left slightly under-developed. Still, Ikara Colt can be forgiven for making these few mistakes. It is their debut album after all, and the flaws of 'Chat and Business' are exactly the same flaws that can be found on the debut albums of many great bands. 'Chat and Business' is a good album, and is definitely worth getting hold of, but it will take Ikara Colt another album or two before they're making great albums. So, it looks like I've taken the side of 'Journalists For Ikara Colt' on the strength of their debut. They could be really awful live, though.

Track Listing:-

1 One Note
2 Rudd
3 Bishop's Son
4 City Of Glass
5 Pop Group
6 Belgravia
7 Sink Venice
8 After This
9 At The Lodge
10 Here We Go Again
11 May B 1 Day
12 Video Clip Show

Label Links:-

http://www.fpmusic.org/

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