Album Review

Madding Crowd – Finding The i

• 11th Apr 2008

Debut album “Finding The I” by Madding Crowd is quirkily based around the car crash that is the mid-life crisis of the invisible 5th member of their band, Billy. It is caused, so the story goes, by the loss of identity and perspective that modern life causes. To tell his tale the album is split into two halves, the first (blue) half being raw and intense, depicting his mental trauma until he finally breaks free from the constrains of life and enters the second (orange) half which shows his eyes being open to the world and himself.

It was certainly an ambitious project for a debut, one which they promise is only the first part of a trilogy, and it certainly works to an extent. The two halves are clearly defined and apparent when listening to the album as a whole; overall it does give the effect of being on a journey. The craftsmanship gone into each track and the whole album is clear in the ability of the tracks to get their individual message across in the story of Billy.

However, it did mean sacrificing some of the cohesion of the album and on casual listening the album is a bit hit and miss, with some tracks clearly better than others, “Salad Days (Amy In Flames)” being one of the high points; full of passion and drive. The rough and rumbling vocals of Mark Herbert are equally hit and miss occasionally being required to perform outwith his ability and not quite getting there.

“Find The I” is an interesting concept album and the band have clearly crafted it with love, something which comes across in listening to it. It is never destined to be a mainstream hit, but the underlying story and unusual approach could well guarantee them an underground following for the rest of their trilogy.