Elephant Stone – The Seven Seas
Though the name may lead to groans from doubters dreading another Stone Roses tribute act, Elephant Stone emulate bands from different music periods altogether whilst offering a little Eastern promise. ‘The Seven Seas’ is the debut album and – by and large – the formula is a successful one.
‘How Long’ and ‘Blood From A Stone’ are reminiscent of 60’s acts such as The Zombies in terms of the echo-heavy production and Rishi Dhir’s crystal clear vocals. Whereas ‘Boms Bomb Away’ and ‘I Am Blind’ are pure jangly indie pop; a bit throwaway but acceptable all the same.
It’s probably at this time that I should mention Dhir’s nods to his native Asian music but – in all honesty – ‘The Straight Line’ is a stamina-sapping instrumental which seems to go on forever and ‘Don’t You Know’ seems too gimmicky. Dhir’s sitar playing is admirable but in the context of the record, a more subtle use of it is recommended. So after these false steps, it’s a relief to hear the lemon fresh pop which Elephant Stone are clearly best served by; the title track being a particularly doleful highlight.
Granted, ‘The Seven Seas’ offers nothing particularly new to the table and its experimental excursions are flawed at best. Yet for the majority of the time, ‘The Seven Seas’ is enjoyable enough melodic pop.
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