The Chevin - Borderland (2012) [FLAC]

The Chevin - Borderland (2012) [FLAC]

Released: 2012
Duration: 41:46
Genre: Pop/Rock
Styles: Post-Punk, Alternative
Codec: FLAC
Bit Rate: ~ 900 kbps
Bits Per Sample: 16
Sample Rate: 44,100 Hz
Cover: Front

01 Champion
02 Drive
03 Blue Eyes
04 Dirty Little Secret
05 Love Is Just A Game
06 Borderland
07 Beautiful World
08 Gospel
09 Colours
10 So Long Summer

Taking their name from the ridge that overlooks their home borough of Otley, West Yorkshire, English alt-rockers the Chevin's propulsive, radio-ready blend of U2, Coldplay, The Guillemots, and The Bends-era Radiohead isn't nearly as rustic as their naturalistic moniker would suggest. Bolstered by a Wembley arena-sized single ("Champion") that dominated television and commercial pop radio in the months before their full-length debut's release, the ten-track Borderland doles out pop hooks like a carnival barker. Glistening, smartly produced, and relentlessly enthusiastic, it's a shame that the songs themselves are all so rote, bloated with lyrical clichés and ubiquitous, soaring choruses that are better left in the more capable hands of groups like The Killers or Muse. That said, tracks like "Drive," "Blue Eyes," and the appropriately epic title cut are as immediate and shiny as they are vacant, and lead vocalist/songwriter Coyle Girelli's Bellamy/Yorke/Bono croon is so unapologetically sincere that it's hard not to get swept up in all of the melodrama, for at least a minute or two.