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On Myspace, Their Hearts Were Full of Spring refer to themselves as ‘life-affirming magical indie pop.’ Boring, is more like it. Perhaps ‘every song sounds exactly the same’ would be a better header.
Make no mistake; THWFOS (or ‘Their Hearts,’ since apparently that’s the preferred abbreviation for the band) have plenty of potential. On the new album, How I Wasted My Youth, members play everything from a glockenspiel to an accordion, a banjo to a mandolin. Warm female back-up vocals complement lead singer Markus’s almost monotone voice. Clearly, all seven people in the band are talented and could make some very original music.
The problem is, they don’t - at least not on this album. The very first track, ’Take Your Own Good Advice’ starts out promising but eventually just becomes too long, too mellow and too boring. The rest of the album picks up tempo a little, and shows a more energetic side of the band. But there’s still one big problem. It all sounds the same - the same as the previous track, the same as the next track and the same as other albums done by other indie bands over and over. Even the originally lovely back-up vocals grow annoying when they’re used on almost every song. And boy, are these songs long and repetitive (I’m looking at you, ‘I Saw The Lights Go Out’). Eventually, it becomes hard not to keep skipping to another song after listening to a minute or two. It’s not that the music is particularly horrible. It’s just not particularly good either.
If you can refrain from hitting ‘next’ on your iPod for the whole album, there are a few songs worth listening to, like the melodic ‘Fire Eyes,’ peppy ‘New Favourite Band’ and upbeat ‘St. Cecilia.’ It’s in these tracks that the band comes closest to the atmospheric vibe they’ve been reaching for with the lush, twinkling instrumentation. If only more of the album sounded like these, and less like generic indie pop.
This is music that will put you to sleep, not change your life. Let’s hope for something a little more exciting from Their Hearts the next time around.
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