Breaks Co-Op is comprised of Andy Lovegrove, Zane Lowe, and Hamish Clark. The Kiwi trio’s second album The Sound Inside is billed as being ‘music born of life’s magic moments’. Factor MTV presenter Lowe’s presence in the line-up, plus the grandiose sentiments of the press release, and you get confusion and disappointment with the unoriginal and uninspired nature of the music.
Either there is a low level of democracy in the band’s make up, or not enough critical thought went into the creative process.
So many songs on the album start off well but wither away quickly. Most tracks are dull and contain cringeful lyrics. There are, however, some glimpses of quality. ‘The Otherside’ has a warm feel to it, complimented by Aaron Neville-esque vocals from Lovegrove. ‘LMA’ also trips along nicely – until you hear the mawkish lyrics.
The tracks that do best are those where the vocals are muted, and where more concentration is placed on beefing up the jazzy breaks with quality music that fits.