The presence of Emo in the pop charts isn’t quite a regular event, and it already seems quite a while since the likes of Funeral For A Friend and Jimmy Eat World garnered a chart placing that mattered. Fall Out Boy’s meteoric rise is therefore somewhat substantial particularly since the band has only existed in its present form for all of four years, and then only because two of the band stumbled upon singer Patrick Slump’s MP3.com website and, after listening to some of his songs online, were impressed enough to bring him on board!

The problem with Emo (on a personal level at least) is that most of the time, it all sounds pretty much the same. That might even be acceptable as long as the song has some exciting element to lift it out of the ordinary. But sadly - and despite Fall Out Boy’s tongue-in-cheek wit - on From Under The Cork Tree this is more the exception, not the rule. There’s a lot of energy, a lot of passion, but it all sounds quite unhinged and ends up being powerful simply for the sake of staying within Emo parameters. When they do occasionally stray from the blueprint, Fall Out Boy deliver catchy tunes, namely Sugar We’re Going Down (best track here!) and the other singles that basically got them noticed in the first place! The States and the UK may be going ga-ga over Fall Out Boy, but it’s going to take more than cheeky song titles and a hit song to keep them in the major league!

Rating: 2.5

CD COURTESY OF EXOTIQUE

West Indian Girl - ‘West Indian Girl’

While searching for info on the net about West Indian Girl, the term “psychedelic rock band” kept cropping up time and again. What wasn’t clear was whether this classification was applied because they are from the “home of flower power” or because the name was in fact nicked from a particular early 60s hallucinogenic substance! Could it be both? Maybe, but the real issue here is more about how the 11 songs on offer here, immersed in pop sheen as they are, succeeded (to a certain extent) in appealing to a varied audience when this album was released two years ago.

Essentially a duo as opposed to a traditional four-piece, the most immediate aspect about West Indian Girl is their proximity to Eels’ particular sound, although there are also traces of Porno For Pyros scattered in the mix. It is very much possible that the similarity to E’s brittle vocal style, along with their sun-kissed dreamy melodies and swirly saccharine sediment, may well have been one of the mitigating factors in bringing about West Indian Girl’s modest slice of fame, highlighted by the choice of prime cut What Are You Afraid Of as the music for a leading mobile phone ad. What emerges after this record’s 45 minutes is that, despite its distinctly repetitive streak, it remains an interesting enough listening choice. A little more effort in developing the underlying affinity for 90s Britpop - restrained here in favour of a more polished edge – will probably give their next outing a wider appeal and a longer stint in the limelight!

Rating: 3

CD COURTESY OF WWW.ALTERNATIVEMALTA.COM