Keith - Up In The Clouds Single Review

Single review for Up In The Clouds by Keith released through Lucky Number Music.

You shouldn't always judge a book by its cover. Likewise, a musical ensemble's geographical placement does not always throw up predictable results either.

Take Manchester-based four-piece Keith for example. Far from following in their adopted city's swaggering miserablist tradition, they've taken both elements of the US pre-millennium emo underground scene (think people like The Dismemberment Plan not Fall out Boy) and the jauntier, upbeat side of Britpop (Lightning Seeds, Marion) while adding a distinctive edge of their own courtesy of Dan Carey's exuberant production and Oli Bayston's distinctive, wry vocal.

'Up In The Clouds' follows on from 2006's 'Red Thread' long player in that any pre-conceived ideas regarding direction or genre are quickly shelved in favour of a quite frantic, mix and match approach that shouldn't work in theory but is pulled off quite admirably. It's on the flipside 'Welcome To My Fairground' though where Keith really deliver their most engagingly pop-scented three minutes to date.

Catchier than a cold sore then minus the gooey mess - what more could you ask for?

8/10
Dom Gourlay