Bleeding Heart Pigeons - Is Album Review

Formed in 2008 in Limerick, Ireland, the trio who form Bleeding Heart Pigeons met at a music-based summer camp.  Two years on from their first EP, they now release their debut album and it will be supported with shows on the three-date Dot To Dot Festival, as well as shows in their homeland in July.

To guess at the style of BHP's work based on their name is likely to prove an adage about assuming right; unless you somehow managed to get experimental and melodic indie.  Opening track 'Frozen' evolves from simple guitar piece to something quite grand, as well as being the only cut to clock in at less than four minutes.  Indeed, with a quartet of songs breaking eight minutes, it's clear that this band is not desperate for a mainstream radio hit.  The synth-laden 'O Happy Happy Happy' continues the intriguing experimentation, while 'In The Forest' is haunting and melancholic.  

When urgency is injected into proceedings, as on 'Isn't It Funny', the result is captivating and impressive, with the sort of impact that makes you sit up and take note.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, the outfit become too indulgent, with 'Vapour' boring in its progression and 'Song With No Meaning' lacking cohesion in its various sections.  Some may say a 70 minute-plus album is ambitious, but in this case it is simply foolish as the trio fail to retain interest.