Reviewed by Simon Eden

Anyone who has ever tried to put God in a box knows it can't be done; like so with Electralyte. An initial reaction to their sound would easily categorise them into indie Britpop/rock suited to a summer music festival; but superficialities can be deceiving. This is why with these guys you have to 'Scratch Beneath The Surface' to see their true nature. They have much to celebrate at the moment with a new contract with Fierce! Distribution, supporting Delirious? on tour, and the addition of a new member Dave Griffiths on guitar which is only likely to see this second full album take them to greater success. Any suggestion that they are remotely like their distribution stable mates would be unfounded, because their blend makes them unlike anything else at all. With a fan base in the Salvation Army youth wing, you might expect brass bands or at least worship tracks, but you would be mistaken (although you did get the brass band on the last album). The lyrics are often esoteric and mystical, with spirituality subtly cohabiting with magical ("Stardust"), but left me feeling like I need a literature degree to understand them. The track "Tall Stores" takes the classic Christian lyric "This is my story, this is my song" and makes it new again, whilst "Life On Mars" indicates that they don't know The Way, or the way back, and the lament of "Spiders And Flies" would have the Goths interested. Musically not many of the tracks here have hooks which make them instantly memorable, but there is still a maturing of their sound which will please their fan base.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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