Grand National - A Drink & A Quick Decision

Genre rock Publisher Recall Records External Links Official Grand National Website

Grand National's latest release, A Drink & A Quick Decision, brings back the sounds of the 80's, but not in the best way. Heavy on the synthesizer but light on any sense of emotional resonance, the general impression left by the end of the album is a lack of engagement with the listener. The music is pleasant enough to have on in the background, but seems to lack substance to stand on its own in the foreground.

"Reason to Hide" opens the album with a Bronski Beat-esqe mix, slight-voiced British synth-pop of the decade of excess but without the soul.

"Going To Switch the Lights On" gives listeners a little taste of organic sound, bringing in real instruments in this Reggae-inflected tune. The similarly Caribbean-flavored "By The Time I Get Home There Won't Be Much Of a Place For Me" picks up the tempo and some sort of primal groove. The influence of The Police is evident, especially as the line "I think I want to make my own decision" sounds almost like an impression of Sting.

"Close Approximation" starts out with a promising germ of an idea; "a sweet impersonation of a girlfriend," but never really fleshes out the initial concept.

Closing track "Part of a Corner" furthers the incorporation, scant as it is, of authenticity through the use of real instruments, as the piano. While this is a welcome addition, it just isn't enough to flesh out the thin sound of the overall album.

As a child of the 80's, I have no objection to synthesizer-based music. On the contrary, I think songs like "Safety Dance" and "Don't You Want Me" are hallmarks of that decade's magic. But inherent in those songs is an energy, a life that the artists breathe into them. In those songs, soul infuses music that just happens to be made with machines and computers, but it never loses the human touch. Unfortunately, unlike those tunes, the songs on A Drink & A Quick Decision seem to flow along without the passion that is needed to really hook a listener. It fails to reach beyond the point of merely serving as the background soundtrack of a night out at the clubs.