The Airborne Toxic Event - Gasoline Single Review

Review of The Airborne Toxic Event's single 'Gasoline' released through Majordomo Records.

One of the most scathing pieces of writing to grace the web last year was Pitchfork's review of The Airborne Toxic Event's self-titled debut album. Amid lurid accusations of artistic plagiarism and seamless questioning of the band's authenticity, the article seemed to be based purely on the fact that for whatever reason, The Airborne Toxic Event failed to live up to Pitchfork's aesthetic of what can be defined as "cool". Pitchfork, it has to be said, got it wrong. Drastically.

Quite simply, The Airborne Toxic Event are one of the most exciting propositions to emerge from the other side of the Atlantic in a long while and 'Gasoline' - possibly one of the least incisive tracks off said album - firmly illustrates why they're being held in such reverence by many commentators both as critics and punters alike.

Sure, there's a hint of Springsteen in Mikel Jollett's rugged vocal, while musically this could sit on any number of commercially groundbreaking records of the past thirty years from The Cars' eponymous debut through to 'Is This It' or 'Neon Bible', such is its versatility and obvious staying power.

Most of all though, its representative of just one of the many different angles to The Airborne Toxic Event and another reason why 2009 promises to be such an exciting year for this five-piece, particularly when their album gets its much-anticipated UK release date next month.

If, like us, you can't wait, buy this as a taster; I swear you won't regret it.

8/10
Dom Gourlay