Album Review | Long-View: Mercury (2005, Columbia)

Once upon a time, George Best and the United were the biggest thing in Manchester. Little Mancunian boys didn’t idolize cowboys, soldiers or astronauts like American children - to a Manchester lad, Best was ace. Then the music blitz hit the area and, behind the inspirational verve of The Smiths, Joy Division and The Buzzcocks, the kids found their idols on a pub stage more than the pitch. Undoubtedly, the sounds of those bands urged Rob McVey, Doug Morch, Aidan Banks and Matt Dabbs to pick up a microphone, guitar, bass and drum stick, respectively. How much indebted to them they are on Mercury, is questionable.

First making blips on the music radar around 2002, festival goers and critics alike swore Long-View were destined great things. After a string of EPs and singles, they finally have released Mercury stateside behind the weight of Columbia Records vast budget. They seem to be just what the major labels ordered, blending their dreary Northern heritage with some Americanized guitar effects and colossal arrangements. The tame and practiced sound is anything but the daring glimpses given in either of those arenas.

Long-View manages to pull some bright moments out of this predictable package, most of which are hinged on McVey’s Morrissey-adoring vocals and the occasional Gospel-tinged backing choirs. Aside from that, their best moments were already eclipsed by Idlewild albums ago. Lyrically, they have been beaten by Roddy Womble and company long before they even arrived. The insipid “Falling For You” is a prime example, bearing all the tepid emotion of a junior high school farewell.

Uplifting chorus’ dominate each of the twelve tracks, as their rocketing momentum lift the songs in the classic Brit Pop fashion (“Can’t Explain”). The dense, unrestrained strings and multiple guitar tracks can be distracting, especially when the melody collapses under the weight of the noise. Any hopes of this band reviving the faded Britpop scene ruined by Embrace, they reduce themselves to American-influenced guitar rock (“When You Sleep”). Their reliance on these aural safety nets immediately reduce their individuality and makes them seem pompous and uninspired.

Reviewed for Earlash Music Sight



Long-View Official Site