The Cooper Temple Clause – Kick Up the Fire and Let The Flames Break Loose

Artist: The Cooper Temple Clause

Title: Kick Up the Fire and Let The Flames Break Loose

Label: RCA

Rating: 7.5/10

Corporate Line: “We discovered, doing this record,” says Ben Gautrey of Kick Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose–croaky from his 374th festival appearance today–“that we were a lot tighter and could play our instruments a lot better than we could two years ago when we made our first album. We do seem to be getting slightly better. We were having a big conversation the other day about guitarists who can’t really play their instruments but just try to get a sound out, and it comes out fresher. We see ourselves as bad musicians who just get a sound out.”

A Cooper Temple Clause who couldn’t play their instruments managed to rip the heart, soul, guts and genitalia out of every venue, festival tent and after-show bar in the known universe while simultaneously having Top Twenty hits and producing a Top Six debut album. A Cooper Temple Clause who ‘do seem to be getting slightly better’, therefore, are frankly dangerous.

The Good:
“New Toys” – You’ll get so comfortable that you might believe you’ve heard it before.
“Promises, Promises” – More than the hook and verse—it’s the depth for which TCTC bring it. Listen with headphones or you’ll miss it.
“Talking To A Brick Wall” – Ben Gautrey comes from one extreme to another. The chorus sounds like Liam Gallagher’s strain and brings back memories when Oasis were actually good.

The Average:
“Written Apology” – As if six minutes wasn’t enough to get a sense of sentimentality and schizophrenic in the same song.
“Into My Arms” – TCTC are inspired by Spiritualized with a denomination that’s not as devastating an ending as they’d have us believe.
“Music Box” – A lot of song; lazy to hazy.

The Ugly: Nothing, so stop looking.

Frankly: Excuse the comparison, but the Super Furry Animals recorded a similar album five years ago called Guerilla. Sure SFA did it better—but the comparison is favorable indeed. TCTC will also get comparisons to Radiohead—fair or unfair? Unfair, TCTC give us everything Radiohead no longer cares to. Kick Up the Fire and let your ears break loose.

+ Rae Gun