{"id":21675,"date":"2014-06-19T09:44:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-19T09:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-ume-monuments\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:03:24","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:03:24","slug":"album-review-ume-monuments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-ume-monuments\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: UME – Monuments"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"Since forming in the mid noughties, Austin, Texas trio UME<\/strong> (pronounced \u201cooo-may\u201d) have seemingly build a reputation as one of indie rock\u2019s most promising bands. ‘Monuments’<\/em> marks their first foray into the UK, and whilst it may not ultimately back up any hype UME<\/strong> may have, it still has plenty to offer.<\/p>\n

Stylistically UME<\/strong> fall somewhere in-between rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, classic rock, and garage with a hint psychedelic thus making ‘Monuments’<\/em> a mix bag. Kicking off with ‘Black Stone’<\/em>, Lauren Larson\u2019s spiky riffs and airy vocals set the tone, and although there isn\u2019t a favourable urgency, it\u2019s clear Larson along with bassist Eric Larson and drummer Rachel Fuhrer are a tight knit group. It\u2019s this that carries the band throughout ‘Monuments’<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Early tracks like ‘Embrace’<\/em> and ‘Chase It Down’<\/em> are dominated by towering riffs and soaring vocals, yet have a subtle fuzz that tweaks the band’s sound towards a more arty, indie rock approach. It\u2019s somewhat refreshing to hear a female-fronted band to take such an approach, especially when a site like this covers the Paramores and the Tonight Alives of the so-called scene. I feel guilty for mentioning those type of bands in this review, as UME<\/strong> are in a completely different spectrum.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, the stomping ‘Revival’<\/em> and the ballad-esque ‘Barophobia’<\/em> showcases the band’s versatility. The latter is a slow-burning, soft number that allows Larson\u2019s words to breathe, whereas the former has attitude and bite, reminiscent of acts like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.<\/p>\n

One of ‘Monuments’’<\/em> highlights is ‘Gleam’<\/em>. Beginning with twindling guitars and Larson\u2019s breezy voice before surging forward with harmonious \u201caah\u2019s\u201d and an uplifting drumming. It\u2019s a compelling number that sums up the bands musical prowess.<\/p>\n

‘Monuments’’<\/em> downfall is that, although overall UME<\/strong> showcase a tight-knit package that has substance, songs like ‘Barricade’<\/em>, ‘Too Big World’<\/em> and ‘Reason’<\/em> are ineffective and come off as merely \u201cfiller\u201d.<\/p>\n

Whilst at times it feels you\u2019re listening to \u2018The Lauren Larson Show\u2019, she alone has the talent to back up such a statement. Like the band overall, she has versatility that shines bright throughout ‘Monuments’<\/em>. Her vocals are thoroughly confident and her guitar lines thrive off the bands solid musicianship.<\/p>\n

On the whole, UME<\/strong> and ‘Monuments’<\/em> is a strong, passionate rock record that doesn\u2019t need any gimmicks to be notice. It\u2019s clear Lauren Larson and company have the capability to get noticed by their music alone. Forgettable in parts yet an appreciative UK debut.<\/p>\n

3\/5<\/p>\n

‘Monuments’<\/em> by UME<\/strong> is out now on Dangerbird<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

UME<\/strong> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Sean Reid (@SeanReid86<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since forming in the mid noughties, Austin, Texas trio UME (pronounced \u201cooo-may\u201d) have seemingly build a reputation as one of indie rock\u2019s most promising bands. ‘Monuments’ marks their first foray into the UK, and whilst it may not ultimately back up any hype UME may have, it still has plenty to offer. Stylistically UME fall […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8181],"tags":[5879,9748,4851,12398,9747],"class_list":["post-21675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-post","tag-album-reviews","tag-dangerbird","tag-monuments","tag-sean-reid","tag-ume"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: UME - Monuments - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Since forming in the mid noughties, Austin, Texas trio UME (pronounced \u201cooo-may\u201d) have seemingly build a reputation as one of indie rock\u2019s most promising\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Album Review: UME - 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