Forward Russia - Give Me A Wall

  by Helen Tipping

published: 19 / 8 / 2006

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Review

Forward Russia have been on the receiving end of much critical acclaim over recent months. From Leeds, the band initially played the circuit with iLiKETRAiNS, This Et Al and others before being invited to join several support slots on larger tours such as We Are Scientists. They are currently touring in America, where they seem to be going down particularly well in New York. This is their debut album, following the release of a number of EPs and singles. It’s been on release in the UK since May, but for readers in the rest of Europe and the US release is imminent. I can’t make up my mind whether I like Forward Russia or not. There are tracks that hook me in, such as 'Nine' – it’s the chorus that gets me – at other times I find them too discordant and shouty, and yet sometimes the shouting takes on a Devo-esque sound and really works. The fifth track on the album, 'Nineteen', doesn’t rely on this shoutiness and is a beautiful lo-fi ballad. 'Eighteen' (the single from the album) is also very good, and then when I get to track 8, 'Sixteen', it fails to work for me, and seems to be inducing a headache, so I move on quickly to the next track, and so it goes for the whole album, a kind of stop start to my listening enjoyment. Their lyrics are spiky and make for great listening, and their trademark sound is easily recognisable, although the sound-alikes are starting to appear. I keep giving them another chance, really wanting to like them for their individuality in a sea of mediocrity, though ultimately I think I’ll just have to accept that I like some tracks and not others, but I don’t think that’s a necessarly a bad thing.

Track Listing:-

1 Thirteen
2 Twelve
3 Fifteen Part 1
4 Nine
5 Nineteen
6 Seventeen
7 Eighteen
8 Sixteen
9 Seven
10 Fifteen Part 2
11 Eleven