Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Situationists

This City Holds Us All EP

Label: Tough Love Records Release Date: 03/03/2008

33936
dionisio by Rob Webb March 14th, 2008

And so, finally, a debut. Three of these four tracks have been kicking around Sheffield for the best part of two years now, but it's testament to their enduring quality that This City Holds Us All still sounds as fresh as that cursory MySpace listen all those months ago.

Some background. Back in late 2006, Bloc Party and The Futureheads - the mainstream bands Situationists did, and do, sound most like - were still doing something relatively interesting with angular guitar music. Fast forward and times have changed: the former released a much-maligned sophomore effort last year that tried to be a bit too clever, while the latter got dropped only to return this week with a new single that ditches most of what made them great in the first place.

Situationists, on the other hand, are still too young as a band to know that kind of commercial pressure. They are, for the moment, the 18-year-old Ryan Giggs of the post-punk pop genre. That's why they think nothing of opening the title track with a sumptuous four-part harmony (altogether now: "ba ba ba-ba ba ba, ba ba-ba ba..."), stuffing 'We Are Weightless' choc-full of Minus The Bear-isms and stuttering Q And Not U-gone-polite guitars, or coming off just like the American Football fanboys they are on newest track 'Whiskey and Water'.

All of which might sound like it's damning them faint praise. But it's not: on the contrary, This City Holds Us All possesses a wide-eyed energy and youthful exuberance - not to mention melodic intricacy - that's sadly lacking from other guitar bands of Situationists' ilk (names mentioned above). It's a fine start to their recorded career, but most excitingly of all the best is almost certainly yet to come.

  • 8
    Rob Webb's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Spiritualized at AIR Studios, Camden Town, Sun 02 Mar

Mobback
33955
33984

The Recovery

The Recovery

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND