The Subways - 'Alright'
For this review, ChartBlog has chosen to take the comeback single from the Subways out of the sterile, scientific atmosphere of the ChartBlog review suite, and into a car, for a sunny jaunt with four friends. This is partly because it's always good to experience music in a variety of locations, and partly because it was a really nice day, and far too warm to be stuck in a hot office.
So, allow me to introduce you to Katy, Issy, Amy and Alex. Four smashers with very different tastes in music (and the ability to wander off the point with alarming speed).
Here's what they had to say, transcribed as faithfully as possible, given the bumpy nature of car travel...
Amy: I like it! It's a feelgood, upbeat rock song.
Katy: It's not real rock though. It's like foppish boy rock.
Issy: Yeah. I'm not keen. They sound like a good school band. The kind of band who'd be good in the future if they had some good songs. He uses those vocal inflections like the Kooks do
Amy: Yeah, but I love the Kooks
Issy: I do too, but those inflections drive me mad.
Katy: The singer can't sing though. They sound like a pub band.
Amy: They'd be really good for a young audience though. It's good cheesy rock...
Issy: Maybe, but I wouldn't put it on repeat.
Alex: Really? I loved it. I thought it was really catchy.
Issy: (vehemently) NO IT'S NOT!
Alex: It's the sort of song I'd turn up if it came on the radio, and I'd hum along.
[At this point I explained a little bit about the band's lineup, and their history, for the benefit of those travellers who did not remember them from the first time around.]
Issy: I hate it when you put girls in boybands. And this isn't a hit song. Like when I first heard 'Umbrella' I knew it was going to be hit.
Amy: I think I'd get bored of it quite quickly, but I wouldn't mind if it was the background to a barbecue.
Alex: Yeah, it'd be good background music for a party scene in...in...I can't think of anything more modern than The O.C.
Issy: It wouldn't even be good enough for a barbecue on Hollyoaks.
Alex: It reminds me of All American Rejects, and I love them.
Katy: Basically the instrumental is good, but the singer is very bad.
[There followed a brief discussion of whether Jim Morrison of the Doors was a good singer or not. Katy says not. And then a long discussion about the Sex & The City film, in relation to the Sex & The City TV show. By then, the relative merits of the new Subways song had fallen so far off the conversational agenda, they were in a puddle in the footwell. Just under the passenger's seat.]
In conclusion, I would like to add that this song does not seem to know when to stop, which is kind of fun, but did annoy a couple of our passengers.
How many endings can YOU spot? Write the answers in your I-Spy book, right away!
Download: Out now
CD Released: June 16th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 14th Jun 2008, xkatielou1993x wrote:WHAT A LOAD OF BULL.
I think this is totally hilarious, obviously people with no taste arent going to like the subways.
Its funny, cause they think rihannas good. Rihannas SHIT. SUBWAYS ARE TOTALLY AWESOME.
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