Daniel Land and the Modern Painters – Imagining October EP

I guess some bands are just unlucky. Keen to build on the release of their Voss EP back in 2007, Daniel Land and The Modern Painters have endured more than most to record its follow-up. An aborted studio session saw all their work scrapped, a whole EP of material abandoned due to technological nightmares, whilst a collapsed lung buried inside their drummer nearly forced a funeral into their tour itinerary. Finally, amid the adversity, the Manchester band who want to take the listener “on a thematic journey through the darker side of dream-pop” have released EP number two, the autumnally titled Imagining October. And it is certainly a progression, building upon the lushness of their earlier release, but with a more melodic and less, dare I say it, “shoegazey” sound. It takes the slow, unwinding sound of Voss and turns it into something less ethereal, the sound of purgatory rather than heaven. The music is still heavily layered, but with seemingly more space for the individual participants to be heard. Opening track “Off Your Face Again” in particular benefits from a chiming guitar that never threatens to choke the vocal line or send the song spiralling into a chasm of reverb. At the halfway point, a sonic punch shifts the melody up a gear, soaring to the finish.It’s a shame then, after such a captivating opener, that “Chagall Repeat (The Flight)” has to be by comparison slightly dull, drifting like flotsam without ever becoming engaging. “Between the Acts” is also somewhat of a disappointment, with a laid back, Manchester sound more redolent of James than anything else. “The Nights Are Falling” on the other hand is dark and brooding, leading into the sprawling “Look at September, Look at October”, a thrilling blend of orchestral surges and pounding rhythms. It builds, and builds, before falling away into the snap of a drum pattern, ebbing into warped guitars and distortion.I really think Daniel Land and the Modern Painters have what it takes to be something special. This release though, as good as it is at times, is not quite enough. A consistent album should be next on their agenda, taking everything learnt in the process of these two EP’s to shape their debut. Lets hope all their bad luck is behind them, and I for one am confident that what comes next should be very good indeed. 75%Links Daniel Land and the Modern Painters [myspace]