Louder Than The Music

Sibling were formed in 1999 and the current band consist of Phill Edmundson on vocals, Jon Law on guitars, Chris Sharp on bass and Dex Star on drums. This is the third EP from the band, with them releasing "rEPutation" in 2001, 'Without Thinking of You' in 2003 and now in 2009 'Not Looking for Paradise'. In their biography Sibling say they are influenced by legends such as U2, The Beatles, New Order, Depeche Mode and Interpol, all of which comes through in their songs and on this new EP.

'Not Looking For Paradise' starts with 'Im Not looking' which sounds like an early Ash song, with its chord "wiki wah wah" sound. The song then grows into its own during the guitar solo, which also sounds like an Oasis guitar rift from Supersonic. The next track "Wake Up Call" is a big let down in comparison to the first track, the start of the track sounding more like a demo. But the track redeems itself with the creative solo work. To be fair Sibling are very creative with these four tracks, not just noise to fill out a sound, a problem a lot of bands find when they start out (not that Sibling are starting out).

'Rain' sounds like a mix of Depeche Mode and The Cure, again another great track, creative and clever. Probably the hardest thing to do on an EP is to record a slow acoustic ballad track, as the vocalist can't hide behind drums and heavy guitars. Thankfully on track "New Day" there is no need to worry about anything, a beautiful track with strong vocals.

These four tracks are good, and I have enjoyed them, my only concern is this EP should have been released maybe 10 years ago. The tracks sound like the bands who have influenced them. A good effort by what could be a very good band.

Review by Jono Davies

LTTM Rating 3 out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
New Day
I'm Not Looking