Grand National

'Drink and a Quick Decision'

Slick U.K. duo get too comfy with mellow melancholy.

Spin Rating5 of 10

Like a lot of smooth, low-key electro, this London group's second studio album is pleasant but rather uneventful. They've obviously studied their '80s influences, and the songs are full of fastidious detail: "By the Time I Get Home There Won't Be Much of a Place for Me," with its infectious synth groove and distant, chiming piano chords, offers a particularly good likeness of Thomas Dolby. And as a change of pace from all the keyboard pop, "Going to Switch the Lights On" adopts a loping reggae beat that honors the Police. 

Now Hear This:
Grand National - "By the Time I Get Home There Won't Be Much of a Place for Me" DOWNLOAD MP3

By Lindsey Thomas

SHARE: