Staff Reviews

Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose

Review by Thom Gibbs

I Had The Blues... totally lacks bile, humour, invention, or adrenaline. Its creators have scarcely hit 20. What gives? This is duvet music, offering vague comfort but impossible to feel any excitement for. »

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bombay bicycle club release their astonishing debut album 'i had the blues but i shook them loose' (recorded by long-term producer jim abbiss) through island records. it's a beautifully literate and ambitious debut. from the dizzying my bloody valentine / m83 swoops and morning-after ruefulness of the lp's opening song to the open-tuned, appalachian folk feel of the record's closing track, the album thrums with subtle invention and quiet emotional intensity. fans of bloc party, broken social scene and bon iver - or any mildly sensitive soul with a fondness for ricocheting guitar chords - will be utterly beguiled. indie rock rarely gets to enjoy its innocence these days, but bombay bicycle club know that's exactly what makes it precious. jamie and jack formed bombay bicycle club after spending their early teens trying to sneak into 18+ gigs together. they were dissuaded at first by jamie's guitar-playing dad, neill maccoll (son of ewan, sister of kirsty), who once told jack he should become a plumber rather than a musician if he ever wanted to make a decent living. then neill heard the astonishing cache of songs jack had amassed in his bedroom with garageband and a cheap guitar, and instantly changed his mind, offering to produce bombay bicycle club's first demos.
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