Hippo Campus - Landmark
I hate damning with faint praise but I can’t help it with Landmark from St. Paul, Minnesota’s Hippo Campus. The four-piece met at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. Following a couple of EPs, Landmark is their full-length debut. Whilst it is in no way bad, it is just a little, well, dull really. Yes, the songs show promise. Yes, the playing is to a high standard. Yes, it is very well recorded and mixed. Yes, the songs are finely crafted. But I don’t detect much passion, any danger or any hint of original thinking. I can see Hippo Campus being huge. Fans of the likes of early Vampire Weekend, Two-Door Cinema Club or Future Islands will almost certainly love this. The band will go down a storm on a sunny day at Bestival or Latitude but this album just doesn’t get my juices flowing.
5/10
