Review of Accolade's CD "Untitled"

Accolade: Untitled

Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite was responsible for several things. He pioneered the "Blur are Shit" t-shirts that were sported by several people during the mid 90's, much to the amusement of the NME. More impressively, legend has it he regularly used to stick a vodka loaded tampon where the sun won't shine, giving him an unadulterated alcohol (s)hit.

After listening to this latest single by Bradford's Accolade, even a traffic cone sized tampon soaked in crystal meth and Keith Richard's rarefied blood would have any impact, so dull and anaemic is the musak.

Composed entirely of 80's throwback rock and relentless chugging riffs that were apparently recorded first thing on a Monday morning, it literally drips from your speakers. Imagine Hurricane #1, after that horrendous Sun campaign, having a jam with Ocean Colour Scene while loaded up to the eyeballs on Mogadon and you're having way too much fun.

Pick of the bunch is single closer "Wish that they could hear us", its well crafted guitar smoothly moving them into the middle lane on the MOR Superhighway. Sadly though, the vocals merely squat on top, loud enough for you to notice, insipid enough for you not to care.

More criminally, the sound is so flat it makes Labraford seem positively pulsating. It could easily have been bettered by playing the most average bits of the 70's and 80's through a toy stereo that's been dumped in the bath. Sorry Accolade, but this isn't the hit you're after.

• www.myspace.com/accolade

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