An International Love Affair With The Foreign Resort
Offshore may be a bit too far off shore for our liking.
Foreign Resort
Offshore
Released on Feb 02, 2010
Lately here at HEAVE it seems like we’ve been receiving a larger and larger influx of foreign albums. Often times this detail slides right by us and we review the album without so much as a mention of where the band originates. While other times we make it one of the main focuses. Now the last foreign album I reviewed personally was Choir Of Young Believers last week. Interestingly enough, both these bands hail from Copenhagen, Denmark; both are lead by a single vocalist/guitarist who goes by three names. These similarities, however, are the only things these two bands bear in common.
The Foreign Resort, as mentioned previously, originates from Copenhagen, Denmark. Lead by Mikkel Borbjerg Jakobsen, the group has been making music since 2007, although Offshore marks their first LP. Being a foreign band, the album has already been available in Europe for almost a year now, and won’t be out here until February.
In their press release, the group describes themselves as, “…a kind of musical escape that sounds as if The Cure and Sonic Youth caught up with one another over a couple of cocktails in Copenhagen.” While I’m all for trying to inform others of your sound, I must regretfully disagree with their description. To me, The Foreign Resort sounds more like some stale bar mix consisting of a few handfuls of The Killers mixed with an equal amount of Sparta and a bit of U2 thrown in for good measure. While you may assume the sum of these parts would be some fabulously entertaining mix, unfortunately, this album lacks the attention grabbing distinctiveness that many of its comparisons flourish in.
The group’s single from their debut album, “The Starlit Sea,” begins with a good 20 seconds of artisan-crafted guitar feedback before a steady drumbeat comes in. The vocals on this track were somewhat reminiscent of Morrissey, but not in an altogether flattering way. The single lacks energy or any significantly uplifting values.
“Into the Sunshine,” sounds like
a b-side straight off an early Killers album. The heavy, present
bass is there, soft synth tones infiltrate the background noise of the
track and Mikkel Borbjerg Jakobsen’s vocals are eerily similar to
a worn-out Brandon Flowers. Other than that, the track lingers
on for a few minutes, during which time it comes dangerously close to
being engaging and interesting, however never quit makes it.
Two of the album’s later tracks,
although never explicitly stated, seem to fit together. “Morning”
and “Night” are where the undeniable Sparta comparison comes into
play – especially on the latter. “Morning” features
more upbeat drumming paired with a rather simple guitar part and playful
lyrics, while “Night” sticks with the deeper, darker end of things.
“Relax (It’s Only Love),” the last track of the album is perhaps also one of its best. The Foreign Resort sticks with what they do best, mid-to-slow tempo Sparta impersonations. From shimmering guitar plucking to delicate synth undertones, the song’s title says it all – Relax!
High Point
When The Foreign Resort didn’t force a faster tempo on their songs and let some of them stay slower and darker, they also allowed more melodies to form, thus making the songs a bit more interesting.
Low Point
No more beating around the bush – this album was pretty much a bore from start to finish. They had a few good elements, and made a nice effort, but nothing really formulated.
Posted by Andrew Scott on Dec 06, 2009 @ 6:00 am
