Album Review

The View - Ropewalk

Item: The View - Ropewalk
Rating: 2

The band sound weirdly subdued throughout.

Reviewer: Joe Goggins

Released: 11th September 2015

Label: Cooking Vinyl

It seems like an awfully long time ago now that The View’s debut full-length, ‘Hats Off to the Buskers’, went straight in at Number One; in actual fact, it was as recently as 2007. The conditions were ripe for it to happen, of course; January’s a graveyard for new releases, and their ramshackle blend of Britpop and The Libertines certainly seemed to strike a populist chord.

The Dundonians were, however, ill-rewarded for their ambition on 2009’s follow-up, ‘Which Bitch?’, and accordingly have seemed to shrink back into their comfort zone ever since; ‘Bread and Circuses’ and ‘Cheeky for a Reason’ were both uninspiring, and the release of a greatest hits collection in the form of ‘Seven Year Setlist’ in 2013 suggests they were simply in desperate need of a reason to tour.

Much has already been made of frontman Kyle Falconer’s admission to the same rehab clinic in Thailand that Pete Doherty cleaned up in earlier this year, but the real talking point should be the production from Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes, who the band have - admirably - admitted to bring in sight unseen, purely on account of being fans of his band.

Unfortunately, a bland job behind the desk smothers what feels like the strongest collection of songs since ‘Which Bitch?’; there is, once again, nuance and ambition on the likes of the lilting ‘Talk About Two’ and the freewheeling ‘Penny’, but the band sound weirdly subdued throughout - rambunctiousness was always a key part of their charm, and it’s largely absent without leave here.

There’s enough evidence on ‘Ropewalk’ that The View’s songwriting senses remain sharp, but the turgid manner in which they’ve served up this group that renders it a disappointment.

Tags: The View, Reviews, Album Reviews

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