Tango In The Attic - Bank Place Locomotive Society Album Review

Mention the name Glenrothes and its highly unlikely many people outside the Fife town will would bat an eyelid. More renowned as being part of "Silicon Glen", the term used to describe Scotland's booming electronics industry of the previous two decades, its only other claim to fame being a "Best Kept Large Town" award in 2009's Britain In Bloom competition.

All that could be about to change if sprightly five-piece Tango In The Attic have any say in the matter. While early comparisons to the likes of Paul Simon, Vampire Weekend and The Velvet Underground may be a little audacious, they're not that wide of the mark either, particularly in the case of the former pair. Last year's 'Seven Second Stare' 45 already created something of a stir, and along with fellow dance-infused post punkers Jack Butler there's more than a slight justification in such praise.

Having formed two years ago from the ashes of local underachievers Ellipsis, Tango In The Attic have made rapid steps in such a short space of time, culminating in a deal with London-based indie A Badge Of Friendship, their first long player, 'Bank Place Locomotive Society' following suit almost immediately.

While there's no doubting the band's love of classic songwriters such as the aforementioned Simon, its also worth noting that they've been paying a fair bit of attention to the Postcard back catalogue, not too dissimilar in many ways to current media darlings The Drums.

Opener 'One Step Away' places the Orange Juice jangle in Abe Vigoda's jungle without the ensuing chaos associated with the latter's afrobeat punk, while the blistering guitars of 'Leftside' suggest a more incisive, mature sound is currently under development, as does the reflective 'One Step Ahead'.

Elsewhere, 'Bank Place Locomotive Society' treads the indie/dance crossover party quite admirably, as 'Off To.' and 'A Healthy Distraction' both straddle similar waters to Golden Silvers or Everything Everything, along with the poppier likes of former single 'Seven Second Stare' or summery strains of the penultimate 'She Stole The Summer'.

At times, 'Bank Place Locomotive Society' does fall a bit flat; both 'Whiskey In The Wind' and 'Blunderground' are quite by-numbers and forgettable, while the six minutes long closing statement of 'The Letting Go' feels unnecessarily overcooked and drawn out.

On the whole though, this is a promising debut that while not quite living up to the superlative heights of their peers and contemporaries, should at least ensure Tango In The Attic outlast the initial wave of hype that surrounds them.

3.5/5

Dom Gourlay