Reading, Englandís six-headed rock monster The Cooper Temple Clause dropped the lead single, ìPromises Promises,î from their new sophomore album, Kick Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose, last year and in my glowing review I stated that if the album were anything like the single, weíd have a new bunch of guitar heroes on our hands. Well, the album is nothing like the single, but we definitely have a new bunch of heroes. While Kick Up The Fire doesnít contain the blunt force attack of tracks like ìPromisesî running through it, what it has instead is tons of lush, psychedelic pop gems. Imagine a Thom Yorke-free Radiohead at their most lucid or The Flaming Lips minus all silliness and you have a decent starting point. Twitching analogue synths, multi-layered guitars and frontman Ben Gautreyís throaty vocals take Kick Up The Fire as high as it wants to go. Itís a rich album, full of depth and diversity and, most importantly, tunes. They havenít quite ascended Mount Radiohead yet, but they are well on their way.

The Cooper Temple Clause
RCA

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