Album Review: Funeral Party The Golden Age of Knowledge

Funeral Party's debut album The Golden Age of Nowhere. Photo / Supplied

Rating: 3/5
Verdict: Old, new boys of indie rock

Sometimes you are introduced to a band that you feel like you know. Funeral Party is one such group. The LA three-piece - also referred to as a four or five piece when it pulls in extras to help out - has been creeping up the charts and touring the major music festivals since releasing their first EP in 2008, mostly on the merits of their clamouring, fun radio hit, New York City Moves to the Sound of LA.

But basically, if you have heard that song, then you have heard their whole debut album as it continues to roll out a formula of mournful vocals that ooze an almost wimpish hope, smashing high-hat rhythms and neck-jerking riffs.

The band's name may have been inspired by a certain song by the Cure but they sound unashamedly like the Strokes or the Rapture, and while this is not necessarily a bad thing it can become bit much-of-a-muchness by the time you reach the end of the album.

But the album is upbeat, familiar and technically-sound enough to - probably - earn them a following among a crowd of indie rockers who aren't into anything too fringe.

It could rark up a teenager's party, and the singles will add some welcome punkish energy to playlists, but it's lacking a certain grit and honesty that will see it break new ground.

Yes it's new, but it's nothing we haven't heard before.

-TimeOut