“The Lights of
Distorted Science” marks the recording debut of Captain Horizon and is a
heartfelt exposition of Alternative Rock with traces of 1970s Prog. The songs
are catchy, melodic and bluesy and underpin the eagerness of these 4 young
English musicians. What I find frustrating with this album is a lack of
adventure and a reluctance to go beyond writing decent songs. Both on an
individual and on a compositional level it’s as if Captain Horizon are content
to play it safe.
A couple of
examples…..vocalist Steve ‘Whitty’ Whittington has a solid voice and a good ear
for melody but if you look at the album from a wide angle, his range is rather
limited. Drummer James ‘Mez’ Merrix, on the other hand, has interesting ideas
but sometimes I felt he was too stiff and needed to loosen up.
Songs such as
‘Patch’, ‘The Sun Has Set’ and ‘Torn Up My World’ are indisputable proof that
the band has what it takes to kick ass. I also noticed that the more I listened
to this album, the more I liked it and that’s definitely a good omen.
Rather than
having discouraged the band, I’d like to think that my criticisms have served as
a small incentive for the band to push itself beyond its safety zone. As the
rating I’ve given indicates, we could be sitting on a mine waiting to
explode…but which hasn’t exploded…yet.
