| CD REVIEW Mindbox |
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Band : Mindbox Oh gosh...not a lot of info I can give you about this Indie Rock band, because there's almost nothing to find on 'em on the Internet, and the MTC Management somehow forgot to relate the necessary data unto our editor-in-chief too. So, all I can tell you is that Mindbox is a recently formed band, a collaboration between Belgian singer/ guitarist Jo Cassiers (where hàve I heard that name before? Oh wait, I guess there was once a Belgian actor by the same name in a rather popular youth series from the '60s), keyboardist David Poltrock (hey, sound familiar somehow as well!), bassist Jonathan White (uhh...more reminiscences?) and drummer Andy Treacey (darn...I'm really going to have to do some more research!) which started somewhere in early 2007 (as suggested by the date they started their MySpace page). With influences cited being Pop, Indie and Rock in general, and more specifically the bands/ artists U2, Coldplay, Richard Ashcroft, Starsailor, Paul Weller, Travis, and Daniel Lanois, it should be no surprise to find this quartet playing a somewhat softer Indie Rock, but hey...they do things quite expertly, not only writing songs that generate an instant appeal, but also bringing in some nice underlaying complexities in the otherwize rather simple music. Nothing too elaborate, but still small things the more experienced listener can enjoy! Occasionally the guys Rock out a bit more harder, more straight-forward...like in the nice “Small Things”, or during passages in “Yellow Fields”, but ever so often Jo will play his guitar in a semi-acoustic way. Most of the time however, his guitar sound lays somewhere in between, with nice “whaling guitar” effects to boot. For the most part, the keyboards come as a (oft layered) Ambient soundscape, but there's some occasions (“To Be With You”, even more prominently during “Scared”, and I'm sure I've missed some...that's how dreamy this music makes me) where the sound goes piano. Both the bass and drums are played in a contained way, each adding their melodies to perfect the whole. Jo's vocals...are great! Soft (occasionally semi-whispered) and medium high-pitched, there isn't one false note in the lot. Well, if I didn't finish this by adding the funny contents of the bio sheet we got along with this release, I'd have to kick my own ass: “...Disbelief on both sides of the Channel. What? Un petit Belge would reveal Hercule Poirot-style the dark side of Faithless? And the magical mix of U2 with Staisailor, from Travis to Daniel Lanoois would be shaped by a Flemish David? And yet, mes frères Dewaele, eat your heart out. Right?! A British duo from UK's hottest touring Dance Rock band that out of their own free will and with full force would kick some Rock ass with Belgian scum? And yet, my dear Hastings, the truth it is...” I've found no info on the band yet at their management's website, and regrettably, there's only a snippet from one song available at myspace.com/mindboxinuk, and this in spite of the fact that the guys mentioned having finished this album in early 2009. Meanwhile, they've added a DVD with a full-length video for the track “Beautiful” (a single for which should be released in Belgium during August), plus parts of videos of the tracks “Scared” and “Sun”...and a short video of fan reactions (family, I'm guessing). Hey, with a little luck, you can find those videos at YouTube (check youtube.com/mindboxtv). At any rate, a nice album, more than deservant of being released in Belgium! Check-up on the additional research to be done (see paragraph 1): Poltrock is a well-known musician (plays/ played with Monza, Hooverphonic, Jan Leyers, Yasmine, Arid, Tom Helsen, has been hired on several occasions as session musician) and producer (lust of collaborations too long to mention here, but including production work on albums by Tom Helsen, Els De Schepper, Janez Deth, and Wim Soutaer – for the complete list, also of the man as a musician, check poltrock.be). Treacey is the drummer for Faithless, and White plays with Groove Armada. 87/100 Tony. |
