Is there any greater disappointment than a band that sets admirably high standards for themselves, yet consistently fails to achieve them? Probably, but that doesn't stop Radio 4's second effort, Gotham!, from being a big fat letdown. It's not a bad album by most standards-- in fact it's pretty good at points-- but in the end slides into a mire of adequacy after generating high expectations early on.
Radio 4's roots are firmly planted in the rich tradition of British post-punk, lest anyone forget. And of course, whenever a band makes such an obvious approach toward genre that's been explored by some of the most influential bands of the past twenty-five years, they can't help but invite negative comparison.
The band has yet to return the sound they borrowed from post-punk luminaries the Gang of Four for their first album, The New Song and Dance, though on this go-round, they've managed to flesh out the standard battery of clanging, jagged guitar bursts and dance rhythms with more prominent electronic elements and a little funk, to almost uniformly positive effect. They still remain fairly derivative, but at least here, unlike on The New Song and Dance, they demonstrate the ability to bring some nuances to a familiar sound. Understated but well-placed sequencers on "Our Town," the impressive and sweeping album opener, work. The bite-sized funk riffs littering the album (most prominent on the energetic and genuinely entertaining "Eyes Wide Open" and "Calling All Enthusiasts") make it easier to remember that you aren't listening to some strange Mission of Burma or Wire B-sides.
It's nice enough, but frankly, the album's energy is spent after the first 25 minutes, and the second half of the album feels like an aftershock from the impact of the first seven songs. Both of the real standouts on the album, "Save Your City" (the only truly melodic offering on Gotham!), and "Speaking in Codes" (a dark, nearly guitar-free offering) are tossed directly into the center of the album. Musically, it's thoroughly, thoroughly passable, although every once in a while the guitar work breaks to the fore to pleasantly take control of a tune, and the bass is particularly solid and driving throughout, if a bit generic.
It's a crying shame though that bassist/vocalist Anthony Roman's voice is wasted on such award-losing lyrics. On nearly every track, the complexities of such issues as activism, economic power determining the status quo, and various other 'revolutionary' ideas are approached with all of the verbal subtlety of an eighth grader with an anarchy symbol stitched onto his backpack. Despite the criticisms, if I had heard only the first seven tracks, this could've made some big points. Gotham! is decent, catchy, and entertaining, but can't keep up the pace it sets from the beginning, which is just too damn bad.
