Give praise for obnoxious guitars. Without them, Semifinalists' wistful, precious debut might be too much to take. As it is, a patina of unruly powerchords and blowsy bass riffs saves the day for the London-based American/Indonesian three-piece.
This is a fine record – exuding at times an eerie, epic beauty – yet Semifinalists do themselves few favours with an opening triptych of tracks which suggests a Mercury Rev covers act still learning their chops. ‘Show The Way’ in particular shamelessly cribs the melody, atmospherics and musical aesthetic of the Rev classic ‘Holes’. Which says a great deal for the group’s neck but not much for their songwriting chops.
Later, as Semifinalists gains in confidence, the band begin to look beyond their influences. The record started as a soundtrack for a friend’s movie (Semifinalists met as film students) – cinematic sensibilities flicker fiercely, particularly on the album’s final third, where ‘I Saw You In The Hall’ and ‘Upstream’ provide shimmering highlights. By the end, they just about snatch your breath away.
Semifinalists contain two vocalists – Ferry Gouw, who is clearly disposable, and Adriana Alba, who is perhaps irreplaceable. Gouw’s calling card is a dreamy whine, in the vein of Clap Your Hand Say Yeah!’s Alec Ounsworth, although far more vexing. Alba, conversely, can coax goosebumps merely by opening her mouth. For their next album – which we should look forward to very much – she might consider locking Gouw in the basement, hiding the key beneath his stack of Flaming Lips LPs.