Bandaid Brigade - 'I'm Separate' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Everything

2. Travel Light

3. Attila

4. Stay Busy

5. Treat Me Like A Christmas Tree

6. Losing Light

7. I Think It's Going To Rain Today

8. Holding Steady

9. Break The Grid

10. Nothing Matters

11. Nothing

School boy error. The first time I sat down to listen to the debut album by Bandaid Brigade, I accidentally listened to the last track of the album first. What a mistake. I was confronted by something resembling a strange hybrid of Dr John and The Macca Lads. A song that was happy to rhyme “Butt crack” with “Nut sack” and get silky voiced backing singers to croon “Butt Train” at recurring intervals. Sorry, guys. It’s not big and it’s not clever.

This experience really put me off listening to this album, which is a shame as it’s rather good. The other 10 tracks sound like an 80’s AOR dream, albeit, if imagined by Maroon 5 and Weezer. This is radio music at its purest. Driving music - perfect for the school run - it’s that pleasant.

Take, for example, ‘Travel Light’. A gorgeous song that quickly has you asking, ”Which 80s sitcom was this used in?” Every time I listen to it, I get lost, planning my own U.S. sitcom about flight attendants. It would star Cybil Shepherd and Marilu Henner. And they would be sassy. Boy, would they be sassy. Don Johnson as the self-absorbed pilot. Bill Murray as the baggage handler, who delivers a 5-minute laconic monologue every episode……Oh, and the track’s finished. To this day I couldn’t tell you how the song goes. I just know I like it.

Other highlights are ‘Losing Light’, a track screaming out for a Glee club dance routine; ‘Break The Grid’, which I swear was the layout song from a John Hughes Bratpack movie, and album opener “Everything” with its Brian Wilsonesque vocal delivery.

I really recommend this album. As far as I can see, it only has 2 drawbacks. Firstly, that horrible comedy song at the end of the album and secondly, I can’t imagine anyone getting very passionate about the music of Bandaid Brigade. The music is catchy but frighteningly pleasant. But for that matter, who is really passionate about Maroon 5 and Weezer – and they seem to do alright!