Amber Run - 5 AM
An ambitious album of pretty average songs.
An ambitious album of pretty average songs, but with stadium-busting production from Mike Crossey. Already tipped for big things by everyone from NME to The Independent, the pressure is certainly on these five boys from Nottingham to translate hype into album sales, packed arenas and global success. But before we get too excited, and prepare to pass on the Coldplay baton to these newcomers, let's not forget that it was not too long ago that a local band, Cord, were also being preened and prepped for greatness by a major label. The industry is always keen to push its own next big thing, but expects instant results, and does not always stay the course for even a follow-up album. So, exactly how good is '5AM'? Well lower your sights slightly. Whilst Hurricane definitely has shades of U2, and I Found has Chris Martin's wistful wallowing written all over it, some other tracks do not stand up so well. Spark sounds more like Reef, and Noah simply echoes of Mumford and Sons. To guarantee their own success, they need to put in a few headline-grabbing performances at the festivals this summer. Watch this space.
7/10
