Other People's Problems
Art rockers deliver surprisingly accessible debut
Ed Power, 10 Apr 2012
Breton’s backstory suggests a band determined not to fit in. Formed at London art-school, the group initially put on gigs as a way of luring punters to their experimental movie projects. As their career started to take off and they became a fixture on the Thames ‘squat party scene’, where they would perform in monastic cowls, as if determined to maintain as wide a gulf between them and their audience as possible (did we mention they live in an abandoned bank vault in south London?).
All of which whets the appetite for some difficult avant-pop. So it’s a surprise to discover that Other People’s Problems is essentially a straight-up indie dance LP, one that at moments bears an almost uncanny resemblance to the output of Oxford indie funkateers Foals. There are some stand-out moments: ‘Edward The Confessor’ is LCD Soundsystem mooching through Shoreditch with its hoodie up; and ‘Interference’ sounds a bit like Bloc Party, minus any unnecessary posturing. Best of all is ’Ghost Note’, which starts with a Philip Glass-esque piano note, segueing into a grinding dancefloor dust-up. Not that the record lacks for filler – whenever they’re on autopilots they really do resemble a Foals tribute act. There are enough glimmers of substance though to convince you that, whatever Breton get up to next, they’re worth keeping an eye on.
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