Lunik - Lonely Letters

  by Russell Ferguson

published: 26 / 2 / 2009

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Review

Switzerland isn’t known for its bands. It is known for its snow capped mountains, ski resorts, cuckoo clocks, triangular chocolate and having no native language. After listening to Lunik's debut album, Lonely Letters', I think the status quo is going to stay the same for a long time to come. This album is too polished and too stylised and, as with all records in this vein, it ends up sounding like Natalie Imbruglia, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion or worse still a watered version of the Cardigans. Singer Jaël Krebs' does her best with her lyrics to sound profound, but ends up sounding naff and clichéd. Song titles like 'Preparing to Leave', 'The Rest Is Silence' and 'Let Go and Care' simply fail to inspire or stimulate in any way. Luk Zimmermann plays the guitar, Cédric Monnieron is on keyboards and Chrigel Bosshard drums, but these instruments are never pushed or strained in any way and it all sounds safe, comfortable and boring. All the songs have such a similar sound that they almost bleed into one record. Thank God for the three-second gap between songs to help tell one song from another. Come back, Take That ! All is forgiven. Yes, it is that bad! This isn’t elevator music, but it is piano bar music and I have no idea, which is worse. Songs from an album like this usually end up as backdrop music to romantic comedies, both of which are as instantly forgettable and bland as each other. If this album were a colour it would be beige, very beige. At one stage Jael sings "Do You Love Me ?" What do you think ?

Track Listing:-

1 Everybody Knows
2 Preparing To Leave
3 Little Bit
4 Through Your Eyes
5 Do You Love Me
6 The Rest Is Silence
7 Last Night
8 Care
9 Prisoner
10 Fall
11 Let Go