Leander is the brainchild of German siblings Daniel and Lars Kranholdt after a period of working with other artists. The brothers bring contrasting styles to the mix as Daniel brings the beats and effects while Lars lends his voice and knocks out a few chords on his guitar. Pass Fail is their debut album, recorded over a two-month period on a friend’s farm in their homeland.I'm a bit of a sucker for a string section in a slow song because it just brings out an extra glow and on closer 'Four Days' Leander reeled me in. If Sigur Ros dabbled in electronica it would sound a bit like this as the quiet, gentle strumming along with the bleeps and Lars's chopped vocals build to the strings like Sigur Ros do so well. There are other moments of poignancy in tracks like 'Idaho' and 'Home' where the acoustic-electronica mix works particularly well.Unfortunately though I wasn't reeled in by the album as a whole. Every time I listened to it I came out of it thinking that something was missing. There is no bite or spark that makes you sit up and think 'ooh hang on, this is a bit good'. The first thing that springs to mind when hearing the intro to 'Forked' for instance is a sub-standard Feeder ballad, and if that doesn't fill you with dread I’m not sure what will. It is all a bit one-paced with the vocal of Lars Kranholdt the worst offender. His flat delivery is pretty uninspiring and after a while it just became monotonous and sounds like he's holding back. I felt no emotional connection to it at all, which is a shame because the lyrics point at some heartfelt subject matter. Also, a lot of Daniel's beeps and blips have to fight for space along with the more sedate music surrounding them, sometimes winning, but they never really sit easily together. Pass Fail does have its moments but ultimately there just aren't enough of them. 53%Links Leander [official site] [myspace]