The New Amsterdams - Story Like A Scar Album Review

The New Amsterdams
Story Like A Scar
Album Review

'Story Like A Scar' is the second album from The New Amsterdams. It's 29 minutes long. While many of the songs are quite promising in their sombre melodies, the weakness of the band is shown up in how very short they are. Some tracks go nowhere; some tracks go somewhere, get bored and come to a close while others search for a strong chorus but never find it. 'Past The Pines' meanders along comfortably but curiously ends after two minutes unable to realise anything further, while some songs such as 'Intelligent Design' are completely let down by Matthew Pryor's voice. It can be somewhat of an acquired taste. The strength of the first two tracks show that The New Amsterdams could have done really well.

The album is very much a compromise: songs that had potential in them but never quite developed. The reprise, which is usually used to signify the musical journey since the album's start only highlights how uneventful that journey has been, and much like an undeveloped child looking silly in an oversized jumper, The New Amsterdams may have been better off with something a little smaller; perhaps a 6 track EP if they couldn't advance their current material any more than this. It could of course be argued that The Futureheads made an album similar in structure but theirs was full of purposely punchy rockers.

Settling for a lot of short little ditties, 'Story Like A Scar' can't really make much of an impression with typical soft rock tracks at half the length. The New Amsterdams have some thinking to do.

5/10

Jamie Curtis