Once you’ve found the Afghan Hounds MySpace page (after a momentary detour to the Google image results to check out what an Afghan Hound actually looks like) you’ll find a whole lot of houndstooth and not much else really. The reason being that this band is so brand new that they haven’t even played their debut gig yet! Hailing from Leeds and forming in September last year the band have just been working in the studio instead of braving the live circuits, a rather inorganic start for a band but it seems to have paid off. The album is incredibly well produced and accomplished – you wouldn’t think that this band are unsigned and haven’t played to a crowd yet…
The self-titled debut album is very tidy and succinct - each track ties into the next one brilliantly and by the time you’ve reached the final track, it mirrors the melodies of the very first track. At less than a year old Afghan Hounds’ mature attitude and considered approach to their album shows up many of their peers. They have produced an album, and a good album at that, not just a collection of singles.
The tracks themselves hit some good notes too in this 50minute long homage to indie music. Melodic guitar riffs and strong bass lines are what this whole album is all about. It’s easy to listen to and detailed tunes create dramatic emotions throughout the tracks. There is quite a cheerful vibe to the music but Matt Flint, the lead singer who sounds suspiciously like Guy Garvey, sets the tone with his moody and thoughtful crooning. Charismatic lyrics suit Flint’s voice perfectly as he sombrely confronts the big issues of life. “The young crowd offers a way out somehow” pulls at the heartstrings in Oh Farhad and sticking it to the man is addressed later on “If you want to conform let yourself drop” in Let Yourself Drop. When each part of the band combined together the sound is created is so comfortable that this could easily be their fifth album released for their ten year celebratory tour – there is a good chemistry behind the band.
However, despite its many good points the whole album does sound a little bit too much like Elbow, there are similar vocals to Wild Beasts, practically the same riffs as Bombay Bicycle Club, and so on and so forth. It’s a great shame as the tunes are good but had they arrived 7/8 years ago, they could have cemented their spot easily – now I think they may struggle to break into this big, bad, highly-competitive world as their material has sadly been done before.
You can tell Afghan Hounds have thrown everything at this album, big issues in the lyrics, perfect riffs and melodies as well as their whole detailed development of the album which create a debut which is hard to fault. However, whatever you think of the album, at some point whilst listening to it you will think to yourself, "Hold the phone. Why am I listening to Elbow? What the devil is iTunes messing about at?" But, alas, before you start clicking off Facebook and rebooting your lappers, the dull disappointment will set in as you read, 'Afghan Hounds - Torches'. It just doesn’t quite hit the spot.
Nice shed.
Rx
