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Album Reviews
Album Review: Left With Pictures – Beyond Our Means (Organ Grinder Records)
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 20 November 2009
Left With Pictures are precious, after you get past the faint (yet nonetheless offensive) whiff of Ricky Wilson curiously lingering in the background of every song on ‘Beyond Our Means’, the London-based fivesome’s debut.
Unabashedly behind-the-times and, without a doubt, incredibly poppy, Left With Pictures arrive after a year of touring with Johnny Flynn (sigh) and Jay Jay Pistolet (double sigh), harbouring similar vulnerable tones in their somewhat flimsy-sounding yet undeniably charming efforts.
The problem with ‘Beyond Our Means’ however is that it comes across as a bit incomplete at times, leaving the listener wanting just that little bit more to delve into. There’s no richness to their sound – and maybe that’s their aim. The songs are sweet, simple and pleasant – which is, in all fairness, enough for some.
‘Jubile’ sticks out prettier than a sore thumb with its incorporation of brass and string-picking, and sits happily in the centre of the album as its focal point and highlight. However, ‘Beyond Our Means’ is unfortunately uphill and downhill in between, and is never quite satisfying enough. TW
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