Soles

It sounds as if the Soles are one of those bands that are really going somewhere. They have managed to build up quite a following in Toronto, claiming that they usually sell at least 200 tickets in advance for their concerts, yet there is very little evidence on their debut album that would suggest why so many people have decided that the Soles are the band for them. The songs are just plain bland in every way. It was a bad idea to include the lyrics on the CD booklet for a couple of reasons. First of all, most of them are spectacularly ordinary, with a few managing to induce a cringe or two. But even worse is their insistence to break every song down on the lyric sheet into its components. I suppose there might be some benefits to knowing exactly where the song’s hook might be, but if you can’t spot it without the help of notes then it probably isn’t a very good hook. Just a thought. The Soles really do try hard, and it isn’t as if their music is the worst thing I’ve heard this month. It is one of those instantly forgettable albums and there really isn’t much reason to listen to their debut at all. Maybe they sound much better when experienced live, but that is little consolation to anyone who picked up at the CD after seeing one of their shows.