In 2005, I helped put on Les Incompetents' first live appearance at our school's Battle Of The Bands. When that band ended, there was always a sense of unfinished business. And not just because they came second in that Battle Of The Bands. Fast forward a few years and Fred MacPherson and Christopher Burman reunited musically, culminating in a confident but inconsistent major label debut album - 'Enjoy It While It Lasts'.
Joined by Jed Cullen, Danny Blandy and Thomas Shickle, Spector hark back to mid-noughties indie, with particular influence from The Strokes and The Killers. Their debut album intersperses uplifting highs with middling, misfiring efforts such as the overly Americanised 'Twenty Nothing' and the forgettable ballad 'Grim Reefer'. Bizarre codas ("hometaping is killing music"?) also permeate across the album, a distraction from the sparkling singles that are on offer.
'Enjoy It While It Lasts' is at its best when it pushes its anthemic singles to the forefront, coupling 'Chevy Thunder' and 'Grey Shirt & Tie' as well as 'Celestine' and 'What You Wanted'. The latter, in particular, is given a spectacular new lease of life thanks to the production of Tom Vek - one of seven(!) producers on the album, perhaps going some way to explain the relative lack of coherance.
Les Incompetents' posthumous album was entitled 'End Of An Error' and the knowingly referential titles have continued with 'Enjoy It While It Lasts'. This time, hopefully it will last. Spector's debut effort might not reach their lofty anthemic aspirations throughout but their bravado suggests that if they can keep it together, something greater may well await. Next time - more killer, less filler.
6.0/10
Purchase 'Enjoy It While It Lasts' from amazon.co.uk. Find more info at spector.co.uk.
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