The Jane Bradfords are a five piece band from Northern Ireland who just released their second album 100 Miles of Broken Pavement. Having already received a generous amount of critical acclaim from BBC Radio 1, it comes as no surprise to see that the album has been welcomed with open arms and positive remarks in the UK in particular.
The album is an amalgamation of ’80’s soft-rock, akin to the likes of Snow Patrol, and the more emotional side of rock, conjuring up memories of Elbow’s earlier albums. It is interesting to hear how the The Jane Bradfords can slip so seamlessly between a heavier song, to one you need to higher the volume to hear properly; perhaps the true mark of a talented band. For example, they catch the listeners attention with a typically independent Irish rock sound with Until The End. The opening is similar to Hard to Explain by The Strokes, but it immediately changes up and becomes something more along the lines of a Snow Patrol release, only with more rock, and less pop. While musicianship within the track is not entirely jaw-dropping, what will prick the ears of any music fan is the lead vocal; powerful, deep and spine tingling, it makes the song interesting.
Glow is a taster of what this band can do on the other side of the spectrum. It is a quiet and gentle number, with the same deep vocals, although this time they come across as more menacing due to the slow and steady progression to a minute long musical climax. The highlight of the album is Debris; channeling the aura of Elbow, it is a pleasure to listen to with its emotional undertones and uplifting spirit.There are elements of the album, such as Debris, that spell success for the band. While similar to a few already widely popular bands, they do support an air of uniqueness to the majority of the songs, which is something a lot of Irish bands fail to do. It is commendable that they are not trying to “be” a particular band or adopt a certain image, however it is also inconsistent. Consistency is important in the broad scheme of things, and while it is interesting to see the immediate dip in pace and style after Debris, it seems they could have either stuck to the more up-tempo range of songs and throwing in the odd slower track, or even the reverse.
The fact that the album is not consistent in that respect takes away from the professionalism of the work. This is but a minor criticism of an other wise noteworthy album which would not seem lost in the album collection of an modern Manchester music scene fan.