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Album Review
by Scott Sterling-Wilder
3-2-2002
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| Haven |
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Haven: 'Between The Senses'
(Radiate/Virgin)
Haven’s debut album is a disc in search of a sonar-passport
It must be unnerving being a new artist these days due to the fact that you could be hailed a ‘future of rock’ before your first gig, ‘pop-saviours’ ahead of a disc and then ‘has-beens’ by the time a debut album hits the stores’ displays. Haven appear to have found themselves in such a predicament, from ‘hopes’ to ‘nopes’ in less than a year.
‘Between The Senses’ isn’t that bad but the school report is ‘just above the average’. It is a fair album that has its moments although the after-taste is short-lingering. The Cornwall-originated, Manchester-based band has made an album that might have right ingredients although arranged a tad too conventionally. Their template is the West Coast sound but ‘britified’ to relate to Travis, Coldplay, Elbow and Starsailor.
With a touch of prog-rockness: ‘Out Of Reach’ would make Simple Minds (circa 1984) very proud; and a sprinkling of psychedelia on ‘Keep On Giving In’ á la CSNY lot. ‘Till The End’ opens like vintage Genesis before evolving into Yes playing ‘America’.
It doesn’t resemble The Smiths, strangely, considering that its producer is Johnny Marr, the famed guitar maestro. (The connection between Marr and Haven is the former Smiths’ manager, Joe Moss, who’s been ‘developing’ the band.) In particular on a track like ‘Holding On’ when the band let it hang out loose and really allow imagination to govern their creativity.
That is one of the highlights, alongside the guitar-soaring ‘Where Is The Love’, the epic proportioned hit ‘Say Something’, ‘Let It Live’ is like a jade shining in a desert… But, all too often songs are that similar, in a middleweight category and the final impression is being unable but think – this is not too retro but strangely reluctant to let go off its influences.
Where Haven lack the most is confining a listener to intricacies of its senti-realm, sharing its shelter of heartaches… It is well played, emo-rock to a tantrum, but at the same time too polite; it knocks on the door before entering, it indicates at the roundabouts, you can safely take it home to meet your parents… Mah granny couldn’t object to this!
‘Between The Senses’ is named after Marquis de Sade’s inference that that is where you find happiness; herewith are only the tinges, unfortunately.
6/10
Scott Sterling-Wilder
3-2-2002
Haven’s album ‘Between The Senses’ is released 04 February 2002 on Radiate/Virgin
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