There's an undeniable 1990s quality about New Rhodes and I mean the era not the Scottish band, although [come to think of it] that could also be true [I reckon]. These unashamed indie/pop/rock tracks are very reminiscent of the 90s heyday of indie/pop/rock bands. I'm going to fight using the term "Britpop" because New Rhodes certainly aren't. They are far too modern to be stuck with that moniker. 'Everybody Loves A Scene' is album no.2 for New Rhodes and it's a case of taking the joy that was infused on their debut effort and run with it a little bit further down the road before stopping off for tea and cakes. Quintessentially British.
Opening with the title track and lead single [free as a download people - down below!] which I do believe I stated "belongs in a John Hughes movie". Frankly I'm going to solemnly stick to that statement. It's an ideal eye-opener to the tunes of New Rhodes. To follow we have 'Come Into The Room' which showcases the vocals of James Williams wonderfully as he has a tuneful bellow "Once I found love/but that was long ago" delving us into a wonderful song seeking approval of the girl of your dreams, "I need you to care". The second single 'The Joys Of Finding And Losing That Girl' which I categorized as a clear perk-up for the most ardent of "industrial/goth/metal/stabbed-with-a-spike-rock fan". It's a wonderful slice from the happy-happy-joy cake which is served perfectly with a dollop of tongue-twistingly delightful chorus.
'Let's Talk' is New Rhodes take on a more morose track but is still full of force-fed melody and harmony with another unforgettable chorus "We get drunk and hope it goes away/Find love just to throw it all away/Why can't we ever understand?". The pace quickens back up to standard pop jaunt for 'So Alone' before settling into a maybe misguided 'The Bells Of St John' that sounds like the sort of pap McCartney Churned out for years. It's way out of place here!
Waves licking the coastal walls is the greeting for '
I'll Wait For You By The Coast' and you kind of expect the album to start to fizzle out after the previous track. That was, however, a mere tease as
New Rhodes launch into a much more anthemic track that's driven along with a thudding bass-line and a euphoric "altogether now" chorus - back on track. '
A & E' continues where we left off a few songs back whilst the volume seems to crank itself up for '
Is This The Life You Want?'. We are introduced to the sort of track that has elevated bands such as The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs etc. to stadium-sized bands.
New Rhodes do it a little bit better, a little bit more controlled, and strangely with too little of a fanfare.
The chiming guitars are present for '
254' and we hear more tales involving girls because [yes ladies of the world] us blokes tend to write almost 87.5% of our songs about you, "
I didn't catch her eye, Oh no/I didn't catch her eye" deems this writers attempt a failure to make the connection - nice song mind you. To round us out we have '
You Can Have It All' the longest track on show at over 5 minutes and it clearly aims to be the big finale song and somewhat succeeds in it's attempt. If only
New Rhodes could make a more succinct chorus to sing-along to.
I will reiterate my previous statement that
New Rhodes should be much more well known that they currently are, sure some people will listen to them and think it's the same as a lot of other music out there in the world [and the charts] but I would argue that
New Rhodes are much better. A happier version of what we usually hear and I for one like to have a smile on my chops when I hear
New Rhodes music.
Tracklisting:
1. Everybody Loves A Scene (3:21)
2. Come Into The Room (3:40)
3. The Joys Of Finding And Losing That Girl (3:02)
4. Let's Talk (3:28)
5. So Alone (3:46)
6. The Bells Of St John (2:57)
7. I'll Wait For You By The Coast (3:56)
8. A & E (3:01)
9. Is This The Life You Want? (4:03)
10. 254 (4:16)
11. You Can Have It All (5:32)
New Rhodes Are:
James Williams - Guitar/Vox
Joe Gascoigne - Guitar
Jack Ashdown - Bass
Tim Desmond - Drums
New Rhodes Official Site New Rhodes on MySpace Music Free Download - New Rhodes 'Everybody Loves A Scene' 
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New Rhodes - Everybody Loves A Scene (Album)
New Rhodes - Everybody Loves A Scene (Single)