Albums

Kubichek! - Not Enough Night

Charlie Southwell 24/05/2007

Rating: 4/5

Newcastle lads Kubichek (come on now, lets drop the extra punctuation for the review my word processor disagrees with it) have had a rough ride with their debut album 'Not Enough Night'. Vying for success following in footsteps of other Tyne bands; Maximo Park, The Futureheads and Field Music. Few would have bet against these lads making it on the back of the Northern scenes success. However with record label politics and a large struggle elsewhere they have gone back to basics and signed with indie label 30-30.

Their debut long player is a twelve track CD pumped full of quality, eleven tracks discounting the short intro. An elemental string crescendo which blasts straight into 'Roman Is Better' a song pumped full of energy and a real sense of tenacity and bitterness flows from the snarled lyrics. The next two tracks on the album are both stomping singles, and carry the fast pace of the album, it did have me checking my watch to see if it'd last half an hour. It is ten minutes the better of my worrying, and so much the better for it.

Best of all 'Not Enough Night' has variety, not just the fast driving indie singles 'Taxi' and 'Nightjoy' which are both fantastic and should be in any indie record collection. But Kubichek also create dreamy soundscapes which are edging on the brilliance of Sigur Ros in 'Hope Is Impossible' and five minute epic 'Start As We Mean To'.

Stuttering, yet flowing drum lines punctuate the album, with their Editors-esque delivery. Squealing new rave guitars appear and are forgotten amid the beauty of the place later tracks take you to. My only quandary about this superb debut record is the exclamation mark at the end of their name which initially almost put me off listening to this. I'm glad I got over it. This is one of the albums of the year. It grows and grows; a fabulous record by all accounts. For me it has everything that a debut needs, immediate catchiness and a few songs to lure you in for the long haul.