Unsigned Album: 'Under Supervision' - Darwin

Released: Out Now

Web: www.darwinmusic.co.uk

In Brief:

Darwin provide guitar driven pop/rock with some nice touches. Maybe a bit too nice in places and lacking that little something that could turn their perfectly ok music into something special.

4/10

Full Review:

Ok, cards on the table time, soft rock along the lines of Marillion isn't the sort of thing I would charge down to HMV eager to part with my hard earned for. Unfortunately, that's pretty much what's on offer here.  Don't get me wrong it's all very nice and stuff, if that's your thing, and I can envisage Darwin doing very well in the pubs around West Yorkshire but something will have to change if it's to get much further.

Coming encased in a plain black cover with a red stripe and the word Darwin on the front, it didn't really give out too many clues as to its contents. The moody black and white piccys inside however was my first warning that I could be heading down pub rock alley.

The stabby guitars that punctuate the first track, 'Bliss' are probably my favourite thing out of all seven tracks but all too soon they are replaced with floaty, jangly chords that seem to eat up any energy gained by the stabbing. Another thing that stands out in the opener is the vocalist attempting a note in the chorus that seems just a tad out of reach. He gets there in the end but in such a way as to lose any strength his voice has.

For some unfathomable reason, probably too much radio play at home, I get the impression that the forth track is the sort of straightforward rock out Robbie Williams would've enjoyed singing. The intro seems to have a 'Let Me Entertain You' feel about the riff and the verse of just rhythm section and vocals with the occasional strummed chord builds nicely. This is probably the strongest overall track on the cd. The track 'On Air', has an energy unfortunately lacking throughout the other six songs. It shows that with little attention to dynamics, Darwin are more then capable of rocking with the best of them.

The final song, 'More Then You Will Ever Know' seems to be a rant sang over the soundtrack to a relationship gone sour, and to be honest, should've been kept on a four track as a warning that writing about 'real life' can lead to shockingly cringeworthy dirges. Upon closer examination of the lyrics, it might just be about someone the writer didn't like very much; who bugs him a bit perhaps. In any case it's a poor way to end a cd. It leaves a very bad taste to an otherwise ok soft rock album and you're left wondering about the quality of the other songs. Next time chaps a more positive ending please.

'Under Supervision' has it's moments but all too often it heads at breakneck speed to the obvious, and struggles to rise above the standard set by a million other pub bands. 'On Air' shows that the band are capable of better, with it's well arranged and steadily building energy but the other six tracks scream mediocrity. Darwin are currently preparing to release a second cd (at least that's what the webpage says), and with maybe a bit more imagination they could provide the very thing for fans of soft rock everywhere. 

4/10, Huxley