Britains fine tradition of producing rock bands seems to be diminishing by the second. The arrival of the Libertines in 2002 and Arctic Monkeys in 2005 sparked fervour in the UK thats resulted in a glut of derivative acts. While there are always exceptions in every movement, they seem quite limited in this case, and the Enemy from Coventry, England, are a perfect example. Like the Twang, the Maccabees or the Holloways, theyve ridden a tidal wave of hype with early singles and then floundered with their debut album. Unfortunately, thats most definitely the case with the Enemy, as Well Live and Die in These Towns presents nothing but another band aping the artists that inspired them. The title track is sickeningly close to the Jam and their more down-tempo numbers like "Thats Entertainment, with the same acoustic strut and even vocal delivery as Paul Wellers from three decades ago. When they get more aggressive on tracks like "Its Not Ok and "40 Days and 40 Nights, they only prove their ability to play power chords and yell anthemic choruses without any real purpose or, most importantly, a sense of melody. And that rings true throughout. The Enemy seem incapable of writing a memorable song, which leads me to question how they were hyped in the first place. Public Enemys words are truer than ever: "dont believe the hype. That is, if theres any left.
(Warner)The Enemy
We'll Live and Die in These Towns
BY Cam LindsayPublished Sep 20, 2007