It’s not really rock music – it’s pop with the guitars turned up – and while the spirit of Savage Garden hovers ominously in the background, this album nevertheless has some moments of MOR greatness.
At their best, Atticus Fault combine the craft and whimsy of XTC and on tracks such as ‘My First Trip to Mars’ and ‘Too Late’, chiming guitars and strong vocals make for catchy and accessible tunes.
‘My First Trip to Mars’ is the obvious choice for a single. Its’ driving beat and soaring chorus put you in mind of Deep Blue Something, but the middle of the album sags a touch. It all sounds like the stuff you’d hear in the background of Friends, and it’s not until further in that things pick up again.
Track 10, ‘She’s a Vision’ is, incidentally, one of the most obvious and shameless rip offs of Blur’s ’Song 2’ I’ve ever heard, so much so it borders on cover version at times – and yet the song has a pop sheen and elements of invention that wear through initial cynicism to make this as unexpected highlight of the album. The next track, ‘Angel’ is the most beautiful. The band came together in Nashville’s coffee house/rock scene and ‘Angel’ gives perhaps the clearest idea of what they may have sounded like when they were discovered. It’s stripped down sound gives the vocals space in which to emote, and provides another, quieter, highlight.
We finish with ‘Once Around the Sun’, which is, well, Roxette – but Roxette at their singalong best.
Aaticus Fault: a blast of guitar driven pop. Play it while your trendy friends are out, and enjoy.