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Review: Jack Foley
CORNISH four-piece, Thirteen Senses, will probably be sick of
hearing comparisons with the likes of Keane and Coldplay, but
there's no escaping the fact that they hail from the same musical
neighbourhood.
Thanks to brilliant singles such as Into The Fire, Do No
Wrong and Thru The Glass, they have proven themselves
tremendously effective at tapping into the sort of emotive (nu)-power
ballads that has proved such a recipe for success for the likes
of Chris Martin and co.
Yet, to write them off as mere copycats, or pretenders to the
crown, would be missing the point, for in debut album, Invitation,
Thirteen Senses display enough touches of brilliance to be considered
one of the bands of the year in their own right.
Needless to say, Invitation is a spellbinding affair, that looks
poised to send them soaring into the indie stratosphere come 2005's
festival season, and which deserves to be held up as one of the
debut efforts of the year.
Like Keane, much of their songwriting is built around epic slices
of piano that simply add to the emotional resonance of each track;
but they are equally adept at delivering some guitar power-ballads,
with riffs that Coldplay's Jon Buckland would be proud to call
his own.
The band is comprised of Will South (vocals / piano guitar),
Tom Welham (guitar / backing vox), Adam Wilson (bass) and Brendon
James (drums) - and all look set to become household names of
the future.
South's vocals, in particular, carry the same sort of shimmering
brilliance as Keane's Tom Chaplin, especially during sweeping,
string-laden tracks such as The Salt Wound Routine, where
his piano skills are also given a workover.
But Welham's guitars get several stand-out moments of their own,
proving the band to be multi-talented to boot.
And there's a nice balance between the genuinely uplifting moments,
such as Into The Fire and the catchy Thru The Glass,
and more melancholy tracks, such as the beguiling Saving,
when the guitars can truly found to be weeping.
Tracks such as Last Forever, meanwhile, simply sweep
all before them amid the wail of guitars, and South's swooning
vocals, which should be guaranteed to melt the heart of many a
listener.
You may have guessed by now that Thirteen Senses are major artists
in their own right, whose talent deserves a huge audience.
Let the comparisons guide you; for the music will certainly do
the rest once you hear it. Invitation is a magical experience
from start to finish.
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Track listing:
1. Into The Fire
2. Thru The Glass
3. Gone
4. Do No Wrong
5. The Salt Wound Routine
6. Saving
7. Lead Us
8. Last Forever
9. History
10. Undivided
11. Angels And Spies
12. Automatic
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