MP3: “I Can Talk” – Two Door Cinema Club
MP3: “Something Good Can Work”-Two Door Cinema Club

In my opinion, one of the most promising up and coming bands out of the United Kingdom is dropping their first album in March of 2010 under the label of Kitsune records.  The three lads (Alex Trimble, Kev Baird, Sam Halliday) of Two Door Cinema Club are out of Bangor, Ireland and have been working together since 2007. Tourist History is the second album to have been recorded in Eastcote studios in London, and mixed in the recently built Motorbass, the first of which was Phoenix’s new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.  The trio is without a drummer so they use a drum machine as a substitute which gives the band a unique electronic/alternative sound, self-dubbed by the band as “alteronica.”

Taking their influences from the likes of Bloc Party, Death Cab for Cutie, Wolf Parade and Broken Social Scene, the trio sets out to create a fun and quirky sound that immediately invades your ears.  All three of the band members are vocalists and utilize their rhythmic, quasi-soothing guitar/bass while juxtaposing palpitating drum machine developed beats to produce a unique sound that is a breath of fresh air from the stale pop tracks that are being pumped out indiscriminately ad nauseam.

At first listen I had a hard time with Tourist History, the reason for this being that there seemed to be more emphasis on the drum machine than in previously released EPs.  The songs I had enjoyed prior to the full length album had been revamped with more sophisticated drums and beats while basically maintaining the same addictive guitar, bass, and vocals.  For me, the songs had (temporarily) lost their lo-fi appeal that previously drew me in save for my personal favourite I Can Talk.  However after the second listen I had become obsessed with the more electronic, catchy, foot tapping Tourist History.  As my old guitar teacher always said, “A band that doesn’t evolve isn’t a band worth listening to.” After all who wants to hear the same sounding track just combined with different lyrics over and over?  I for one would not, but that is just me.  Bottom line: Listen to Two Door Cinema Club.