The latest from Melbourne indie rockers British India is ‘Avalanche’, a ten-track album and the third to grace their discography. It opens with the smashing guitar riffs of ‘Safari’, a quick tempo’d beat designed to infiltrate your mind with the absolute desire to drop everything and dance. This song would be the epitome of a defining live experience, and in my opinion, an impeccable success of an album starter.
From this album you can expect the usual mellow, chilled out tune, occasionally climaxing into a chorus clouded with choppy vocals and slamming instrumentals; and the strained whinging of Declan Melia mid-scream. The only element of the music preventing it from being ignored out of banality is the consistently beautiful guitar rhythms and riffs throughout the album, presenting each song with a different sound.
An interesting, and rather random feature of the album is a voice clip of a controversial Spiro Agnew quote kicking off the beginning of ’90 Ways to Leave Your Lover’. I like to think this is an allusion to Manic Street Preachers, who frequently opened songs with political quotes in an attempt to provoke thought and deeper political involvement within their fanbase.
‘Avalanche’ earns a hard 7/10 – from start to finish, this is the perfect soundtrack to long car rides, parties in the backyard, and just general simple fun without the intensity. Sure, there is the occasional mediocre song that you would normally begin to listen to on your iPod and skip halfway through (Beneath the Satellite), but this album succeeds overall in showcasing the band’s ability to create insane melodies and loud party anthems.
No doubt this would be a great experience live – check out the album launch at Manly Fisho’s Friday night (7th May), or at Groovin’ the Moo.
Review Score: 7/10
