For a first release,
Bad Conscience Patrol sounds astonishingly accomplished. Having earned a reputation and a fan base through prolific touring,
Rubik clearly know what they're doing. The sound of the album veers toward a more pop-like
Radiohead or a more artsy
Coldplay. It's polished and almost orchestral in its complex production, but the songs -- at their best -- are radio-friendly and memorable. They successfully mix aggressive guitar lines with ambient drones, and can sound both sinewy and fragile at the same time. "Jesus/Hypnotist" echoes briefly
George Harrison's
Beatles-classic "Here Comes the Sun," and songs such as "Hinges" and "City and the Streets" are equal to any number of recent Brit-pop hits. The lead singer,
Artturi Taira, has a strong and melodic voice capable of expressing both the melancholic and more joyful aspects of the songs. The band still has room to grow lyrically, and while their subject matter veers to the darker corners of human existence, the effortless and melodic performances keep them from ever sounding that way. The musical variety and the sound of the album can be called either consistent or a bit limited, depending on one's preference. The band has an effortless charisma, and while it appears they are simply following on well-trodden musical paths, the strength and conviction
Rubik brings to their strong material eclipse the simplistic comparisons to their more popular musical cousins.