Eight Legs - Best Of Me

Recently there has been a glut of bands turning to synthesisers in an effort to desperately cling onto a fading fan base, yet sometimes the basic combination of guitars, bass and drums can be enough to satisfy most musical tastes. When a band manage to conjure up great music without having to rely on electronic trickery the rawness and simplicity can be exciting. However, with a sheer abundance of guitar based bands it takes more than being able to play to stand out from the crowd. Eight Legs official website claims that their songs speak of parties ending in drunken disaster and text message arguments. If that clichéd statement isn’t enough to put you off, wait until you hear just how they have turned it into something even more contrived.

The main riff and vocals of the song are good enough, but strangely familiar, almost Ordinary Boys territory. Once you get past the initial fifteen seconds the song descends into a predictable indie by numbers affair. Although fairly hummable after a few listens, it is then immediately forgettable. Its enjoyment is further marred when you realise it sounds like a Pigeon Detectives b-side. Of course, it would be unreasonable to suggest that all bands don’t sound a little bit like their contemporaries, however with a band bringing nothing new to the table they just sound dated and stale.

Eight Legs are a band no doubt striving for success, you can admire their love for keeping it basic and living the rock and roll dream. ‘Best Of Me’ might have been almost palatable if the production could have been tightened, sadly it sounds distinctly like a pub band that have a collective HND in pro tools. Perhaps they just need some time to mature, regroup and carefully think about creating their own sound, then they might develop into more than a band that will be forgotten rather quickly. If this is the best of them it looks like they might need a synth.