In Case of Fire - Align the Planets

How much emoting can you take? If picking up Align the Planets, your answer to that question had better be ‘a lot’, as every word sung by Steven Robinson sounds like a desperate plea, regardless of its meaning. It’s not full-on emo whining but, while tolerable in small doses, it gets tiring over the course of a full album. The remainder of the band emphasise a ‘big’ rock sound – aspiring to Muse-like heights while also taking cues from Jimmy Eat World – and it’s done proficiently, preparing In Case of Fire for a radio hit or a packed stadium. But the formula makes for a middling album that comes up short on inspiration – and that’s an especially poignant statement for mid-album track Plan A, as it samples a speech from Martin Luther King, a man who rarely failed to inspire. So while the trio seem to have the emotive style down pat, their over-polished sound keeps it from making a tenable connection.