The Invitation

by

Thirteen Senses

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There's nothing startlingly original about the music on young British band Thirteen Senses debut 'The Invitation', but to write them off as unoriginal would be to miss the point. On the evidence here, much of which is stirring and beautiful, this is a group more concerned with breaking hearts than breaking barriers.

I wasn't quite prepared for just how good this is given there are so many bands that peddle this brand of anthemic, melodic pop/rock with such mediocre, hollow results. Thirteen Senses manage to make big sounding music that is also heartfelt and literate.

Comparisons abound to groups like Keane, Coldplay and Embrace (a sort of necessary evil in the case of a new band), and in truth they do fall roughly into the same territory as these bands, though with less grandiosity than Coldplay, more edge than Keane, and at time of writing, better melodies than Embrace.

Given time 'The Invitation' is a real grower, while 'Into The Fire' and 'Thru The Glass' endear themselves immediately, others such as 'Gone', 'Saving', 'Lead Us' and 'Last Forever' prove to be equally very, very good after a few spins.

You only hope Thirteen Senses' label gives them the opportunity to grow as a band, and down the line the chance to deliver on the promise of this excellent debut.

In the tradition of Coldplay and Starsailor, new quartet Thirteen Senses' maiden release The Invitation offers twelve delicate, persuasive versions of English gentility. Sure it's a cliché by now - these pasty Brits with their sensitivity and highly evolved access to melody - and we could all make do with our last heaping of hot Coldplay - but Thirteen Senses are dreamier than their counterparts (as in shoe-gazing), and also more pastoral. Will South (vocals, piano, guitar) has a soft, pleasant tenor that floats just above the arpeggiated guitars, and his songs of hopefulness and obsession are a less strident version of JJ72. This is a rainy afternoon, put the kettle on, gaze out the window, dream you were in another place kind of CD. In other words: of limited use, but useful nonetheless.