Official Secrets Act – Understanding Electricity

Official Secrets Act – So Tomorrow

Absurd, slightly crap name? Check. Overly-mannered vocals? Check. Band members who resemble civil servants repressing their true identities as a-soon-to-be-massive-indie band? Check. Give a warm, lusty, but hushed welcome to England’s next brilliant group.

OSA make postured, strange and poppy music of a peculiarly English type,  and on this debut they show enough promise and range to suggest that they will be around for a long time. The possible comparisons are huge, but the best reference point is probably Vampire Weekend if their parents had blown the trust-fund on a British prep-school education rather than an American one.

This group nail XTC-style pop to within an inch of its life in the same way that Blur used to early on in their career, chucking out killer lines whenever it suits: “well everything is better at the weekend/and everything’s better in a car/and everything’s better with a girlfriend who’s ten times cooler than you are”, from “So Tomorrow” -  without a doubt one of the best indie singles that I’ve heard this year – is my personal fave.

When the above is coupled with “Hold the Line” – where OSA reveal their influences, name-dropping both Tears for Fears (don’t get jealous, Kanye) and 80s fop popstrels Japan – and the stonking “Girl from the BBC”, you get the feel that this band can do pretty much anything they want.

Which is partly the problem: they have such a knack for a hook and are clearly so bored of chasing convention that they run the full mix over the course of this album, with chamber-pop like “A Head for Herod” slowing the album running a little. “Momentary Sanctuary” ventures into the sort of ridiculousness that only Muse can really pull off, and “Bloodsport”, like its Jean Claude Van Damme cinematic namesake, teeters between the 80s and the 90s, welding a big stadium sound to the Mandolin riff from Losing My Religion.

Regardless, OSA manage to keep it all on the rails for a brilliant first cut: credit has to go to Tom “Charge” Burke’s vocals, which run from a Bowie yelp to New Romantic croon often in the same song, and allow the band to flex their muscles and get away with it in spectacular fashion. On first listen it’s a bit disorientating, but this is the sort of debut that leaves you eagerly looking forward to their next couple of records.

Go tell someone.



One Response to “Official Secrets Act – Understanding Electricity”

1. Ellie says:

   April 27, 2009 at 6:12 am

   Have been to lots of OSA gigs and they are always on great form. Brilliant musicians with great English charm which shows through in their performance.
   Loving the album, looking forward to next gig with the Rakes!