Judging by I Am Kloot's lyrics, I'm guessing only three objects exist in frontman John Bramwell's daily sphere-- the pub, his apartment, and the rural scenery between those two places. Of course, some unattainable love interest haunts him at each of these locations, but for the most part Bramwell's lyrical scope remains incredibly narrow. With that in mind, I Am Kloot are a three-piece Mancunian outfit unsure if they want to be the next Blur or the next Keane. For every clever or cynical piece of songwriting on their debut Natural History, there was an equally unappealing moment of staleness. On their self-titled second album-- released 18 months ago in their native England-- I Am Kloot take baby steps to reduce this ratio and distinguish themselves from the rest of Britain's rock fodder.
To be fair, I Am Kloot will never actually become Keane. Bramwell's nasally voice is too biting to pull off sappy sing-along anthems, and he wisely avoids them here. Additionally, the band exhibits significant instrumental growth compared to the monotonous debut. Opener "Untitled #1" shows off Andy Hargreaves' savvy drumming while on "Life in a Day", the album's standout track, Peter Jobson's smug bassline charges Bramwell's otherwise dejected tone.
However, while the band is smart enough to avoid egregious indie rock pitfalls, the album still suffers from a lack of ingenuity. Bramwell uses the pub/apartment/pastoral trifecta ad nauseam, as demonstrated by this I Am Kloot lyrics mash-up I have prepared: "Loneliness...it drinks but never leaves ('3 Feet Tall')/ You stand like a rock, on top of the mountain ('Cuckoo')/ Swell, we're living in a hotel ('Proof')/ You say you're like a tree or a bus stop ('Untitled #1')". Although the songs generally steer clear of predictability, Bramwell's melodies are limited by his narrow singing range. As a result, most of the hooks fall flat, which isn't a total loss considering who would actually want the phrase "you say you're like a tree or a bus stop" stuck in his head.
Fortunately, Bramwell's bandmates do a decent job of covering his snarky ass on most songs, though stripped-down ballads like "Proof" and "Not a Reasonable Man" still expose him as an unattractive, hungover malcontent. I Am Kloot comb over their weaknesses, avoiding the schmaltz that eventually doomed bands like Athlete and Badly Drawn Boy, but barely differentiating themselves from them in the process.
