I've been listening to the new Undertones CD, Get What You Need, all morning. It's enjoyable so far, but it seems to be lacking in a direction. I didn't know what to expect - and I couldn't have expected a masterpiece - but after putting out 4 distinct albums in their prime, this sounds more like a collection of songs they wrote, some in the style of first-album Undertones and some in the style of
the more '60s-based stuff from the last album. There's no sense that this album is "This Year's Model" (in terms of the band having a musical "statement" for that release).

Of course, the early-period sounding stuff lacks the excitement and freshness of the early period. The "Love Parade" type stuff fares better; there's a little less '80s reverb and hair gel on this album's tracks. What's really missing are the all-important nooks and crannies of the 2 middle albums. The drum arrangements on this new album seem like they were mailed in. The guitar parts have their
moments, especially on a couple of songs that incorporate some bluesy Pretty Things-like licks. The new singer? He's not to blame. Feargal might have picked up a song or two, but the new guy is fine. This stuff reminds me of Echo and the Bunnymen without the slight edge or a fun mid-80s group like The Godfathers. That Petrol Emotion's first album may be a point of comparison too, but that band was more "experimental" than this version of the Undertones, in many ways a more logical extension of where the original band left off. Hopefully they'll stick around for a second comeback album and find a musical raison d'etre. I'm really glad they're back!

Jim
www.groovedisques.com