Clearlake - Amber

Genre rock Publisher Domino External Links Official Website Domino

Welcome, dear readers, to a new and exciting era in music reviews! Yes, for Clearlake's Amber we performed a stringent scientific test to discern, objectively, whether or not you should add it to your purchases.

Our experiment involved two volunteers. The first, Kate, is a dedicated Clearlake fan (they have to be out there, you know; despite the lack of any real chart success, the band has been going for years now), and is looking forward to hearing their third album. Sam, on the other hand, has never heard them before. She's more of a Sugababes fan, and is a tiny bit apprehensive. Anyway, both are placed in their separate soundproof booths, and we begin the experiment, piping Amber through their headphones.

And we're off! The staccato drumming of "No Kind of Life" kicks things off; the ever-so-slightly whiny vocal causes Sam to grimace a little, but Kate's holding her headphones tightly and nodding in time with the beat. This reaction gap grows wider as the record continues; Kate smiles, appreciating the subtle violin backing of "It's Getting Light Outside," which smoothes a rather rough and ungainly vocal, while Sam looks at her nails, a little bored.

Sam is a little more interested in "Amber," which is slightly reminiscent of Disco Inferno (a long-forgotten British band in the 1990s, who deserved a much better fate than what they got); an odd tone created by a quiet, almost whispering tambourine. But soon she gets a little bored, as it never actually goes anywhere beyond its initial promise.

By the time the half-way point has been reached, Kate is still immersed, tapping her foot gently along to the sparse guitar of "You Can't Have Me." Sam, on the other hand, is beginning to look a little traumatised. "Why can't somebody save me from this painfully average band," she cries. "Dull, standard guitar riffs and boring melodies...losing the will to live..." she sobs. If only we could hear her pleas through the soundproof glass. Thank the maker for lip readers!

Kate glares at Sam, standing up and dancing in her booth to "Far Away," which through a combination of strong drumming, a simple yet effective riff, and lovely Byrds-esque harmonies, is the stand-out of the album, even managing to reinvigorate Sam, although she's instantly put off by the faux-blues of the following "Neon."

Soon, the final track, "Widescreen," comes to an epic, but rather hollow end. We let our subjects out of their booths. Sam hugs us and runs away never to be seen again. Kate, on the other hand, wants to know if we can give her a copy of the album, although she mentions that she doesn't think it's as good as their last one, Cedars. We give her our copy; it's the least we can do. So there we have it, a scientific test! And the results? Well, Amber is not going to win any new converts to the Clearlake cause, whereas fans will probably be quite happy with the results. Next week: we stick electrodes into a potato and ask it five questions about Girls Aloud!