Herman Dune - Next Year In Zion

Twee. Never has a word been spat with such vitriol by music fans the world over since ‘nu-metal’ first reared it’s ugly head. Not everything that’s twee is synonymous with inane lyrics about wanting to lie back and look up at the sky (Have you ever actually stopped and done that? Don’t bother, it’s blue.), but much to the annoyance of people who want some sort of subtlety and real emotion in their music, most of it is. And just who is cited as an influence by a lot of these irritating twee bands? Why it’s beard-sporting, perfectly charming French duo Herman Dune.

It’s obvious that the desired attempt of the band’s fifth album ‘Next Year In Zion’ is to leave the listener smiling, and with a warm feeling in their heart. But to these ears, this effort is so saccharine and teeth-gratingly ‘lovely’, that any heart-raising moment is dragged down by the swampy choir’s desperately begging the audience to coo at how sweet they are. ‘Try To Think About Me’ is an effective casing point (not that there is much variation between the songs on the album) in that there are some fairly nice trumpet fanfares in there to enjoy, as long as you’re willing to wade through the nasally vocals and repetitive female backing voices that plague this song just like they do the rest of the album.

We are by no means averse to bright and colourful music, but if you’re looking for that you’re much better off searching for some Los Campesinos! or (especially) some Kimya Dawson. But rest assured, if you’re looking for something jolly to cheer you up through this winter then don’t waste your money on this album, because even the credit crunch is more heart-warming than Herman Dune.