Album Review: One Night Only – One Night Only
A couple of weeks back I introduced TGTF readers to the North Yorkshire band One Night Only, and now I have the great pleasure of reviewing their self-titled new album. Released 23rd August, it is the perfect soundtrack for the end of the summer. At first I didn’t think there was a song as good as the single ‘Say You Don’t Want It’ or another album that was single material, but the more I listened the more I realized I was wrong. In fact, there are very few songs on this album that couldn’t be singles!
All of the tracks on One Night Only’s second album follow pretty much the same formula: pounding drums, thrashing guitars, synths and keyboards, with lead singer (and occasional Burberry model) George Craig’s vocals shifting between smooth and rough and tying it all together to create a slightly retro sound that is somehow also very current. But this isn’t to say the songs all sound the same. Far from it, the band’s infectious energy and the interesting melodies and rhythms keep the album exciting the entire way through.
Many of the tracks deal with the fame that the band has already acquired and are sure to have more of now that ‘One Night Only’ has hit the shelves. As their press release says, “it’s the story of chasing the end of the rainbow, what happens along the way and when you get there” and it conveys “…a feeling of being catapulted into something tremendously exciting and perhaps a little troubling”. Singing about fame and fortune can often come off as bragging (I’m looking at you, hip hop) but One Night Only approaches it from more of a “holy shit, look what’s happening!” point of view that is incredibly refreshing.
In the album opener and lead single, they sing “the big screens, the plastic-made dreams / say you don’t want it.” The subject of fame comes up again in the incredible ‘Forget My Name,’ which has an exuberant, barely-contained quality to it. They sing “caught up in all of the action / We’re in the middle of streets all painted gold / Have you seen the reaction lately / Of all the people we left back home?” They let go completely in the chorus, practically shouting it out: “On and on we keep on dreaming, / in the end you won’t forget my name.” This larger-than-life, anthem-y sound is present in of a lot of their songs, particularly ‘Chemistry,’ ‘Got It All Wrong’ and the incredible ‘Anything’.
If it was up to me to pick the second single from this album, I’d probably go for ‘All I Want,’ which finds itself at the halfway point in the album. It’s very synthy and retro, and pairs tinkly keyboards with a rough guitar riff and echoing vocals for a sound that’s just too much fun. The fantastic line “speak how you feel so the words sound real” from the second verse later becomes the refrain and will be incredible to sing along to live.
‘One Night Only’ is both playful and mature, and its energetic highs and sensuous lows are like a roller coaster ride you’ll want to take again and again.
9/10
‘One Night Only’ was released on 23rd August 2010 and can be purchased via iTunes, Amazon.co.uk, Play.com and HMV.com.
Leave Your Response