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The Indelicates - American Demo It is within these torturous streets that many of us now drift with haunted expressions on our faces, for many of us are beginning to wonder where the souls of our compatriots have gone. If it's not the playboy pencil cases in our nation's classrooms, if it's not the wars going on unnoticed in mythical countries and if it's not the fame-hungry faces we find plastered over our eyes that make us wish for a past that probably never really existed, then it's this; the music industry. Just where have the intelligent pop stars gone? Dizzy on the excesses of popularity? Castrated by fat-cat record labels? Or are they simply as lazy as the majority of us? Thankfully, The Indelicates offer a huge slab of salvation. It is not without great ridicule from the cynics that surround me that I declare this album one of the most important in the last 5 years. Hey, it's not a decision I have taken lightly, we have had some great albums; Arcade Fire, Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand stand tall over the current musical landscape with the sort of grandiosity that is only matched by the Statue of Liberty, but none of those bands have been truly daring have they? And I'm not talking about pushing the musical envelope, I'm talking about writing songs with as much passion and care as 'We Hate The Kids', the closing track of American Demo. The Indelicates have long been admired by those that know them for their ability to write affecting and immersive pop songs that borrows as much from their passion for poetry as it does their passion for music, but it was never imagined that when they finally hit the studio to record their album it would be quite as awe-inspiring as this, a masterpiece. From the opening gambit of the album right through to the last 'American Demo' is crafted with more beauty, craft, precision and socio-political ideals than the Reichstag. If you could imagine the best moments of Carter USM, Hope of the States and the early-Manics then you might be somewhere close to understanding the importance of this album. Sure, the singles still offer the greatest thrills (especially 'Seventeen' and 'America'), but even tracks such as the, uncomfortably true, 'Stars' and the pro-feminist jaunt that is ' Our Daughters Will Never Be Free' offer far more to the listener than anything currently doing the rounds in the charts at the moment. Hell, if any criticism must be leveled at the album then I don't think I'm the person to deliver it - The Indelicates have created an epic album at their first attempt. That in itself may be enough to reinvigorate your faith in an industry as stale as Bono's witless political sentiments. Truth is, The Indelicates have blended all the elements to create an album of outstanding class; wonderful production, epic orchestration, passionate lyrics and the ability to harness the magic of a pure pop tune. And the wonderful thing is, I don't think The Indelicates need to be told what a phenomenal record they've made, I don't imagine such trivial things are important to a band that contains such intelligence and soul; but one day, Record Collector will quote this album as one of the undiscovered gems of this decade, so you might as well just buy it now and safe yourself a lot of trouble hunting it down later - you certainly won't regret it. 10/10 THE MOST IMPORTANT ALBUM FOR YEARS Stand-out Tracks: Sixteen
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