Whisperin' & Hollerin' were happy to endorse THE OPEN'S eponymous debut EP prior to Xmas. Let's face it, it pressed all the right buttons in terms of passion, commitment and the melodic content that we're supposed to be allowed to like again since Coldplay took a sanitised form of earnestness into the charts and cracked America in the process.
Sure, I'm being massively snide here (and undoubtedly growing old), but it does seem a little hard to reconcile a band like Merseyside-based The Open being so openly tipped as "the sound of the future", as one reviewer has been moved to gibber, because to these ears these eager young whippersnappers remind me of nobody more than brilliant and unfairly overlooked early '80s heroes The Sound, who after a simlar early critical purple patch were ridiculously tossed aside by too many critics.
Thereby may hang a tale where The Open are concerned, but despite the lingering aftertaste of eau de early '80s that follows in their wake, they are definitely a good (and potentially very good) young band.
"Open My Eyes" - again - is clean, urgent and nervy. Ex-Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde's production is just about spot on and the propulsive, proud end result ensures they sound 'anthemic' in anything but the Oasis-associated way.
The other two tracks from the Raymonde sessions are impressive without being quite so transcendent. "Getaway" is the better of the two, with nice touches of piano, strategic power chords like tripwires and a definite chromatic touch. It threatens to sound a bit like the Manics at one point but then veers off. "The View", by comparison, is the very essence of brooding, with a massively moody bassline launching another major, smouldering effort. Weirdly, another Sound reference point rears its' head as the song reminds strongly of the kind of thing forgotten Dubliners Into Paradise (themselves produced by late Sound frontman Adrian Borland) could have knocked off in their sleep. Oh well.
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There are also a couple of self-produced tunes which are potentially more interesting, primarily as they are less bombastic. "Shadows On The Wall" is particularly good, with a tangible atmosphere and drifting, Chameleons-y guitar. I also like the fact that it suggests a kaleidoscopic crescendo several times, but pulls away and reins in. Compelling, in a word.
So yeah, there's no denying The Open are a cool, eminently keen and talented young band. The whiff of hype currently swirling around them seems a little ominous, but the way they carry themselves suggests they may be able to weather the storm once they get bigger. That fact in itself seems pre-ordained right now, but at least where this lot's music are concerned, I've currently no problem with that.
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