White Lies - To Lose My Life.

The debut album from White Lies sits perfectly in the modern scene and yet could sound as easily comfortable had it been released at the back end of the eighties. And this is where it's beauty lies.

Short, sweet sounding and pretty much to the point, this collection of guitar driven indie and electronica influenced songs pay much homage to the wonderful sounds of times gone by without sounding dated.
Whilst the music in itself is crisp and polished enough to stand up on it's own, it's the lead singer's delivery that's most pleasing. With a style that draws comparisons from the likes of Echo And The Bunnymen, Julian Cope, Depeche Mode and at times Joy Division, to name just a few, there's a joyous sense of familiarity here without sounding like a crappy covers band that you'd expect to find playing a circuit of working men's clubs.
It's a dark and fairly gloomy sounding album (particularly with the lyrics), but that shouldn't put any potential listener off. Ok, so there are lyrical tales of suicidal tendencies, ghosts and death, mental breakdowns and even misguided kidnappings. Not the most uplifting of subject matter for any band to tackle, for sure. But the resulting songs of what sounds like a nicely polished set, coupled with some wonderful production, manages to give an uplifting and almost anthemic sensation, despite these stories of woe.

There seems to be a lot of breaking bands around, all tipping their collective hats towards a nostalgic eighties sound and if this is an indication of what 2009 has to offer, then in my opinion, we could be in for a very promising musical year.

Doom and gloom never sounded so good.

Death

The Price Of Love

To Lose My Life