C'mon guys - eight tracks spanning a mere twenty-seven minutes and twenty-eight seconds?

Following the college radio success of their 2004 release Time & Space, American band Soular are heading to Blighty to promote their follow up - Waiting For Tomorrow - 'passion filled indie rock - melodic structures and spacey sonic dins'.

'Our sound is a fusion of all we know - it is about what we are feeling and experiencing at the moment a song is written - we just write and perform the kind of music we like'. Blimey, insightful stuff.

To be honest, it's pretty mainstream stuff. Guitar based melodic rock. The opener American Dream could be described as indie with some metal riffs thrown in for good measure. Take Me Away throws in some nice vocals. But it's all a bit Keane or Starsailor who frankly, are in a different league.

Don't get me wrong, it's not unpleasant or badly performed, it just lacks that je ne sais quois. If you heard it on the radio (as you may well do) you'd probably think 'that's pleasant' but I think you'd be unlikely to be inspired to rush out and shell out your hard earned.

Where Do We Go wears its Beatles and Beach Boys influences. You Taste You Feel sounds like a typical McCartney album track (and that's not meant as a compliment). Never returns to Starsailor / Keane territory. So, This Is The Way It Feels and It's A Shame rocks it up - in an indie sort of way. Again, pleasant enough.

But the piece de resistance is Tomorrow Never Comes - a lovely ballad with a huge chorus. Even if it does sound a bit like Starsailor.

But guys - twenty-seven minutes and twenty-eight seconds?

***½

Review by Pete Whalley

Where Do We Go
© 2006. All rights reserved.

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly