Review of ¡Forward, Russia!'s CD "Eighteen"

¡Forward, Russia!: Eighteen

Eighteen, taken from the excellent recent debut "Give Me A Wall" showcases a subtly different side to ¡Forward, Russia! compared to the previous singles. Let's leave for a sec the punk dance beats, sporadic ("Where the hell did those notes come from?") guitar licks, yelping, and in a nutshell you have Eighteen. And it's great. Easily overlooked on the album due being a few gear changes down on the rocktometer, this song shines as a single. The chorus is tender, albeit a little paranoid, revolving around a chiming guitar line that floats over the other instrumentation.

For the uninitiated, if there are many left in Leeds, this is an 'ease you in gently' starting point for the album which is one of the best records you'll hear this year.

• www.forwardrussia.com

Find related articles: gear changes, guitar line, guitar licks, nutshell, showcases.