The Banshee Public Talks by: Mark Simms Mon:11-Jun-07 Label: Suiteside Year: 2007 WB rating 30 out of 100

It’s nothing original. In Public Talks, The Banshee embrace ‘70’s and ‘80’s British garage-punk, repetitious riffs of old and boppy dance rhythms – something The Arctic Monkeys have already revitalised. The result: tracks of catchy yet familiar guitar riffs combined with the standard drums and bass. While the immediacy of this can make it seem like light-hearted fun, after a few listens it all becomes easily forgettable. To be fair, Public Talks is still enjoyable, but only as much as a 30 year old tv re-run – when you couldn’t be bothered getting up to change the channel.

Not one track out of the 10 reaches the 4 minute mark, which suggests that The Banshee are content to rest on their signature sound, and as such the album does pass quickly. But this sameness also ensures that no track contains anything distinct enough to ensure that it stands out from the rest. No track challenges or ventures into unexplored territory, and while the Banshee have a fierce enthusiasm, there are plenty of bands replicating the same type of music just a little better – where tracks stand out from one another.

‘Talking On The Phone’ kicks the album off, and although the fast-paced drums and simple repetitions of guitar combine to be quite catchy, the entire album is experienced in the first 30 seconds of this one track. There may be those who like to know exactly what’s coming around the corner with their music. If so, then this album is a must have.