Album Review

Arcadian Kicks – 19 Days

• 11th Aug 2010

“…[They] have a sound that is altogether quite different from your average indie band.” – Popped Music
Birmingham-based Indie group The Arcadian Kicks have put out their debut single ’19 Days’, complete with a video documenting their previous music festival escapades. Armed with sometime Blondie producer Mike Chapman, the quintet have created a poppy rollick comparable to Amy MacDonald – and yes, it’s yet another girl with an acoustic. So far they’ve had the privilege of playing festival slots at Wychwood, Isle Of Wight, T in the Park’s BBC Introducing stage and Ayia Napa (in Cyprus), and more recently were featured as band of the week in The Independent.

In this song there’s been an effort to build up the instrumentation, beginning with the sparsity of a lone guitar and ending up in some “ooo”s and organs. But on the whole the track appears to remain on one level, seemingly lacking any conviction from the musicians who are behind it. ’19 Days’ reliable train-like rhythm and sing-along lyrics about a romantic fling, do however work for their intended audience.

Being the trendy, well-dressed, club night hosting band members they are, The Arcadian Kicks are probably in the right place at the right time. It’s just that other tracks, such as ‘Walk Alone’, and even the weird saxophone bop of b-side ‘Standing In the Road’, far outshine final choice ’19 Days’. I would advise any listener not to judge this band solely on ’19 Days’.

The Arcadian Kicks’ entirely self-financed first album, although fully recorded, is still in the works