Lacrosse - Bandages For The Heart Album Review

Review of Lacrosse's album Bandages For The Heart

From the ever-popular Abba through to more recent acts such as Aqua and Alphabeat, the Scandinavians have produced a steady stream of pop bands with male/female vocal combos. Lacrosse also fall into this category, and they now release their second album 'Bandages For The Heart'.

Like the aforementioned bands, Lacrosse very much specialise in cheesy chirpy pop, which may well result in a hit single and fifteen minutes of fame but lacks any shelf life, thankfully. If it wasn't for one of the most annoying sound effects committed to record, 'We Are Kids' wouldn't be too bad, for it features an undeniably catchy riff. Nina Waha, the female vocalist, has a helium tone that grates far before the end of the record, and it is particularly shrill on 'All The Little Things That You Do', which is far too optimistic for anyone who is above the age of twelve. Occasionally Lacrosse do become bearable, 'It's Always Sunday Around Here' being a decent guitar track, while 'Excuses, Excuses' is a surprisingly successful change of tone. Dark and brooding, it builds into a dynamic emotional storm that you wouldn't predict given the rest of the album, but is certainly far better than anything else present. It isn't enough to rescue 'Bandages For The Heart', but is thrilling in it's own right.

Alex Lai