Turin Brakes

Following the current mold of innumerable UK-based, folk-laced rock acts is Turin Brakes. The band comprises highly talented singer-songwriters Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian. The Optimist LP is its major label debut and a departure from the independent and heavier imports.\nMuch like its UK contemporaries such as Coldplay and Travis, or even forerunners like the now-dismantled rock gods the Verve or the pre-OK Computer incarnation of Radiohead, Turin Brakes has the ability to harmonize and churn out solid folky rock tunes unlike many Stateside musicians with the exception of indie rockers such as Stephen Malkmus or Lou Barlow and his collective that bears the apt title The Folk Implosion.\nThe Optimist LP contains 12 tracks, none of which lacks or disappoints. But the standouts among the bunch are most assuredly the thoroughly mellow, Travis-esque tracks "Feeling Oblivion" and "Emergency 72," a slightly edgy tune titled "Slack" and the infinitely catchy rock hymns "Mind Over Money" and "Underdog (Save Me)." \nTurin Brakes is a band of staggering ability and presence, yet somehow it seems to come up lacking. By comparison with its infinitely skilled contemporaries, the aforementioned Coldplay and Travis, the band just doesn't entirely stack up. Its album is truly great, just not quite as great as some other albums of a similar vein now in rotation.\nIt's interesting that Astralwerks, a label better known for releasing and later breaking esteemed techno-fueled artists such as Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx, has taken Turin Brakes under its tutelage and released The Optimist LP here in the States. With the right promotion, these guys could be just as commercially and musically viable as their more experienced and culturally accepted compatriots.\nThe Optimist LP is a fantastic way for a talented duo such as Turin Brakes to enter the U.S. stream of consciousness and a hint of the incredible works to come.