Review of Alfie's CD "A Word In Your Ear"

Alfie: A Word In Your Ear

Manc lads they may be, yet Alfie give out the merest impression of Manchester musical folklore and attitude when they foray into the whimsical and dreamy world of summertime nothingness. Imagine butterflies: beautiful when they arrive, fluttering around without a care, capturing your imagination for a brief moment - yet gone just as quickly and instantly forgotten. Yet for all the New Acoustic Movement (thanks NME) nonsense that will plague the five-piece almost as much as being tainted forever more as having been Damon Gough's backing band, there are also some decent moments on this album: "A Word In Your Ear", the title track, for instance nicks just a little from the heritage, a backward outro, Roses style, into the second track and with Gorton impressing a touch of Ian Brown and more so of Tim Burgess this is a summertime single for all ages. Yet even the good points grate after a while; the nasal drawl becomes irritating, adding to the frustration of endless possibilities that fail to materialise from the depths of songwriting talent that Alfie possess. There's so much going on in each song that perhaps that's the problem, there's no defining moment to capture the heart of the listener: see the rock'n'roll catchiness of acts such as The Hives and The Strokes. For all their beauty and craft, Alfie's latest album appears destined for background music, played by people who love a good melody but just don't want to get too distracted.

• www.alfie-uk.com

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