On paper, the aural cocktail of The Coral and Junior Senior is an unholy one. On record, it proves palatable enough without knocking anyone’s socks off.
The nasal voice of Blind Jackson's singer grates a little on opener 'Mess It Up,' but is far more tolerable when placed lower down in the mix on 'Keep On Running', and 'The Best Of His Healing.'
Hammond organ is a key component of their sound, which is best described as The Coral's slightly less stoned younger brother.
Guitars punctuate, rather than dominate, the earlier tracks on this mini-album, and it's only on seventh and final track ‘Don't Lose Your Mind’ that the pace begins to pick up. The arrangement seems looser, the lyrics less contrived and there's more energy, as though they've awoken from some daydream where they were an original band.
Although there's nothing wrong with drawing from your influences, for goodness sake inject some of your own personality!
Neglecting to do so is probably the biggest mistake Blind Jackson make, and while there's a lot to like here, with ‘Stop The Clock’ a notable piece of radio-friendly new-wave pop, there's not much to love.
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5Rob Webb's Score