Pin Me Down - Pin Me Down
Pin Me Down
Pin Me Down
Released: Apr 19 2010
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Animalized
Rating: 2.8/5
Pin Me Down: the first of several Bloc Party side projects to deliver a full length album. Consisting of Bloc Party lead guitarist Russell Lissack and New York based vocalist Milena Mepris, Pin Me Down are the latest attempt at indie pop. If we thought Bloc Party lead vocalist, Kele Okereke was the single influence behind the transcendence from the raw sounds of Silent Alarm into the electronic sounds of Intimacy, we were very wrong.
Pin Me Down is a very straightforward and simple record. It is evident that the couple have attempted to create pop music, and in all fairness, that’s exactly that they’ve delivered. Each track is catchy through its simplicity; however, at times it’s just so simple that it seems to offer nothing at all to the listener. Lissack’s catchy guitar riffs are often drowned out by sloppy production, when Lissack’s guitar abilities should really have been the unique selling point of this record. In tracks such as Cryptic and Boy Who Cried Wolf, Lissack’s raw guitar riffs shine through, but even on the rare occasion that this happens, it just sounds like a dumbed down, more generic version of the guitars from Silent Alarm. Apparently Lissack’s guitar playing hasn’t really evolved whatsoever over the past 5 years.
Although Pin Me Down as a record offers plenty of opportunities for critics to tear the songs apart and laugh at them; in terms of listen-ability, Pin Me Down is actually very catchy, and at times very successful in terms of being a reputable pop record. Tracks such as Meet The Selkirks and Everything is Sacred work well at being captivating and up-beat – which as a generalisation is what this record really aims for, and accomplishes. A few tracks such as Ticking, offer great and memorable choruses, yet unfortunately at times poor production just takes away the edge – the opening of the track sounding like it’s been put together in Ejay Dance 3 – a repetitive kick drum opening a track isn’t the most inspiring.
The final track, Fight Song, works well as an ending to the record. Down-beat and melancholy, the track is an emotional ending to a very up-beat album, which works well in changing the mood for effect, and suggesting that the listener has come to the end of a musical journey. Pin Me Down is a mediocre record; however, it works well at being catchy pop music. It’s just impossible not to feel that the album could have been so much more.
~ Article by James Murray
Listen to: Cryptic, Pretty In Pink
For Fans of: Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, Ellie Goulding
Sound-Revolution 
April 25, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Interesting read, I might check out the album… thanks.
April 25, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Thanks for the comment Aush. I must say, although I haven’t written this review especially in favour of Pin Me Down, tt is an album that I rather guiltily can enjoy listening to. So it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of Bloc Party or the dance-esque side of popular Indie music.
April 27, 2010 at 8:16 am
Nice review James, I’m glad you could still look at the album objectively being a huge Bloc Party fan like myself. Interesting note about Kele not being the only dance influence on Bloc Party, I totally suspected they might be on their Hiatus because of musical differences and Kele’s inclination towards electronic music – Gald to be wrong! It’s given me renewed hope for their future… provided they can work around Kele’s New York move.
April 30, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Thank you for the information, it will surely help me a lot. Cheers!!!
April 30, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Hey nice review I definitely agree with you. This album was such a let-down…pretty in pink, cryptic, and time-crisis are cool catchy songs though.