On some personal level it is always a great feeling to get in on the ground floor of a bands career before the major rags start blaring their supercilious horns proclaiming, “Look what we discovered!” I mean really, how hard is it to sing praises after the little guys have been trudging away spreading the word and delivering the goods? Rhetorical question: really no need to embarrass the establishment by answering. But, after listening to the now London-based band Ideals it doesn’t take much of an imagination to hear their potential. Kind of like it’s no surprise when after downing a few pints you just feel better. Well, the music of Ideals is similar; in that after a few listens one is able to relax inside the music well enough, and let it just wash your worries away, or at least temporarily hold those worries in abeyance.
With this band, admirers and pundits alike, could spend long hours making comparisons to well-established bands and cross-checking sonic references endlessly. But that’s not my style. You know me; I just let the music stand on its own two feet and bear the full force of your critical ear. However, what you won’t hear from the band Ideals is empty posturing or trite lyricism. Rest assured, Andrew Major, Ben Ward, Simon Wilson, and recent recruit Ben Smith are not soulless mannequins mouthing blather into the atmosphere. These guys tow the line, by delivering hard-nosed fare like the blazing, “Let Your Anger Leave” which opens with scathing full-frontal guitar atop palpitating drum work, before settling down around Andrew Major’s stalwart vocals. And just when you thought the guys from Ipswich, Suffolk gave you their all, they deliver a track like “Altar” and the increased helium in their airship of sound takes them to greater heights. Yes, I’m a fan, but I’ve a strange feeling I’m preaching to the choir. Peace. Continue reading “Ideals // Altar”
