Telegraphs - We Were Ghosts

It would be too easy to dismiss We Were Ghosts as an emo record released by a band full of pretty people who fool no one with the heavy eye make-up. There's a sense of ruthless efficiency in the execution of this album, with short songs following the tired quiet-loud formula, and distorted guitars being heavily compressed into submission, so as not to challenge the ears of the all important pop-punk demographic. Despite this, green shoots of originality sprout up amidst the Incubus-meets-Linkin Park emo-by-numbers; singer Darcy Harrison has a voice that (when not being wielded in service of 'fist-shaking-at-the-moon' cliché) displays an intriguing, bruised quality. The highlight of the album, though, sees bassist Hattie Williams step up to the microphone in order to inject the spirit of Debbie Harry into the Jimmy Eat World sludge on I Don't Navigate By You. This band could be huge, but for now we'll have to wonder.