With a band name that evolved through a dodgy typo, you can probably guess that Landshapes are a pretty relaxed group of people, and that’s exactly the way their debut album Rambutan portrays them.
Opener “Racehorse” slowly builds up through a slow drum beat and guitar loop, shrouded in simplicity, before haunting, beautifully echoey voices slide in, as soft twangs from the electric guitar and Lily Allen-esque vocal harmonies give off a similar vibe to the music of The xx.
After the initial reminiscence, “In Limbo” is a faster, more energetic tune, driven by a steady drum beat and a slightly oriental-sounding guitar riff.
Despite its near flawless organisation, it unfortunately drags on just a little too long and loses the listener in a fog of far-too-similar sounding guitar loops.
Apart from the cowbell in the intro, “LJ Jones” doesn’t stand out as a memorable song, and by “Threads”, everything is beginning to sound like the same thing – minimalist guitar and drums with edgy vocals laid decoratively on top.
Luckily, “Impasse” and the intro of “Blu Tac” bring a much-needed change, with the acoustic guitar, strings and pan flute sound effects creating a more positive feeling amongst the songs, but then the album slips back onto the road to obscurity with “Night So Strong” and “Demons”, in spite of featured artists on the horn and flute.
In a somewhat futile attempt to pick itself up again, “Detour Ahead” leaves us with a foreshadowing, dark underlying message before the eerie “Insomniac’s Club” aims one final punch at brilliance with an interesting, urgent opening drum sequence.
The self-labelled ‘wonky-pop’ group from London have served up a saccharine mix of slow, gentle tunes and experimental inde-rock lullabies, but they haven’t quite hit the mark.f
