The Optimist LP
(Astralwerks/Source)
What do you get when two English grammar schoolmates pick up their acoustic guitars and start producing elaborately arranged quasi-futuristic folk ditties?
Well, if they go by the name of Turin Brakes, then the answer is a fairly stagnant debut record, which, oddly enough, is the fruition of a major bidding war in Europe. I guess everyone is trying to snap up the next Coldplay over there.
The Optimist LP doesn’t offer much on originality or diversity. They don’t cover any ground that Radiohead hasn’t already left far behind, nor do they have the songwriting chops to demand attentive listens (or even repeat listens, for that matter).
Bear in mind that there is nothing particularly terrible about Turin Brakes; there is simply nothing truly remarkable about them.
The standout tracks, namely the trippy “Future Boy” and the wistful “By TV Light,” are too few and far between to keep this incurably slow album afloat. None of the eleven tracks even break into a light jog, with the possible exception of “Slack,” which huffs and puffs its way to mid-tempo status.
In a nutshell, Optimist is the musical equivalent of Top Ramen without the flavoring.
By Casey Lombardo
Long Beach Union
Originally printed 4.30.01
Back