Umpire
Now We're Active
Hidden Shoal Recordings

Umpire is a Perth, Western Australia based indie-rock band, compiled of Simon Struthers, Geoff Symons and Michael Lake. They formed as long back as in 2006 as a studio song writing and recording project. Now We're Active is their debut album.

Now We're Active opens with the pretty light progressive rock tune "Green Light District", which also is their lead single. And it is a fine measure for an album that lingers in a guitar-swirling soundscape placed at the crossroads of sun dazed pop and math-rock. All the tracks has a tight, melodic underlining, especially the jubilant "Supply Chins", the charming "The Canyon" and the almost slow-cored "On The Fingers". Yet, there is only the closure "Cyclones Into Sunflowers", with its longing vocals and elegant guitars, that actually are really effusive.

And it is this lack of playfulness, in the otherwise nice tunes, that gives this album a slightly dull expression. So, Umpire has with Now We're Active delivered a fine album. But sadly not more than so.

Copyright © 2011 Aslaug O Klausen