Red Light Go
Red Light Go LP
First off, it has to be said that the packaging for this record is amazing. Some thought has gone into the fold-out digipack and the attendant artwork. The CD on-body is designed as an EP, with a heavy-weight feel (or is that my imagination). Major points for ingenuity here.
The tracklisting continues the theme, with the album split into two ‘sides’ of five songs, each starting and ending with the sound of static that occurs when a record deck is pressed into action. All this, and I haven’t even pressed play yet!
Side one begins with ‘Must Be There’ and the amazing ‘Funny Little Dance’, and it’s immediately clear that we’re in 80s territory here. It’s easy to see why the band have gained airplay all over the place. There are definite hints of Depeche Mode, but rather than sounding tired, things stay fresh throughout the whole of the album. Side One closer ‘If U Ever’ features some nice piano/synth interplay in its early stages, with another hooky chorus, while Side Two starts strongly with ‘Face It’, possibly the album’s best song, and ‘Writing on the Wall’ coming on strong.
Occasionally, as on ‘Was it You’ and ‘Repetition’, things descend into guitar-driven territory, which is a shame, as tracks such as ‘Take the Picture’ show that the band are at their strongest when their songs are propelled by synths.
So, this debut full-length from Red Light Go is strong and innovative, but I can’t help wishing they’d had as much time and simple genius to put into the music that was applied to the packaging.
Definitely a band to check out live as I can well imagine them putting on a great show.
Guest article from Haydon S.
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