Record Review--Soft "Gone Faded"

(PROMO VIDEO FOR DROPPIN', PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT THE WHOLE SONG. IT IS ONLY THE FIRST 2 MINUTES).


If South are the second coming of both New Order and Stone Roses, then Soft completes the revival by embodying the sound of the Madchester scene's Ride circa Nowhere era. Gone Faded is a twelve track collection featuring shoegazer guitars and a polite madchester rhythm section. The results are a dreamy pop adventure remniscent of some of the best Ride albums. The lead single features, Droppin, features a slow guitar buildup to a mean bassline culminating in a simple drumbeat while the lead singer's lyrics lament an ex-girlfriend that drops in and out of his life. Its a great track. The rest of the album contains heavenly guitars over danceable basslines and drumbeats. Its an album you'll constantly be tapping your foot to and is one of the year's best albums. Other standout tracks include Great Spirit, Gone Faded, Ten Times Strong, and You Make Me Wanna Die.

Lambasted by the indie rock community as being pretentious because the band formed early in 2004 in Brooklyn and holed themselves in storage unit honing their songs before they played any real gigs, I personally think the approach is both reasonable and sensible. Look past the backlash and find one of the albums of the year.

FINAL SCORE 9.5