The City Lights El Sol by: Liam Tracey Tue:11-Dec-07 Label: Ivy League Records Year: 2007 WB rating 59 out of 100

Taking a couple of years, adding a few new members and a whirlwind tour of Spain were all meant to equate to a tremendous advance for the City Lights, yet somewhere along the way they seem to have faltered. This is not to say that the Sydney six-piece haven’t created a fun filled second record, but rather to underscore the fact there isn’t that uphill progression that is so hard to achieve on sophomore albums. The good-time-provocation that was so prevalent on the band’s 2004 debut, Escape from Tomorrow Today, is still here on El Sol, only it appears to be somewhat of a rehashed version that does not justify the addition of new members or the lack of music on the disc.

Original members James Roden (ex-John Reed Club, Youth Group), brother Harry Roden and Danny Allen (both Youth Group) are joined by new members Bruno Brayovic (Peabody), Kit Warhurst (Rocket Science) and Graeme Trewin (ex-Peabody) to create a sextet rock collective on El Sol. Despite incorporating so many members, the City Lights have really only extended the number of guitars in their lineup, along with Roden on bass and Trewin on drums. This impressive collection of gentlemen is likely to draw in some new fans for the group, but names are not everything and there is a definite let down by the fact most wouldn’t realise all six were there unless told. At the core of El Sol, four guitarists (three leads) almost defeat the purpose.

Some of the best musical moments of El Sol aren’t even delivered by the six, with Spanish-inspired guest horns on ‘Got the News Today’ and guest piano on ‘Grand Pacific Sun’ providing instrumental spotlights. The slew of City Light guitars are, however, best taken advantage of in the instrumental ‘Spy Theme 3’; a suspenseful few minutes of sheer rock guitar that rests Roden’s vocals. The incorporation of two instrumental tracks (the other being the surf-inspired ‘Spy Theme 2’), as well as a few memorable instrumental sections within songs are all that allow the listener to appreciate the group’s extended line-up in its recorded form.

Interestingly, the City Lights refuse to stick to one genre on El Sol, perhaps exemplifying the members array of previous outfits. In an attempt to excite, the band move between pop, punk and surf rock, this despite the risk of disconcerting the listener. Soft pop opener ‘Take a Picture of the Sun’ is immediately lost under the Who and Clash punk inspired ‘Everyone Out’, and while Beach Boys-esque melodies on ‘Grand Specific Sun’ and the REM-sounding ‘Anyone Who is Anyone’ show diversity and talent, the punk theme does somewhat dominate, if only due to the fact it pushes everything else out of the way.

Roden does his best to channel Joe Strummer during ‘Everyone Out’, ‘Here to Stay’, and the catchiest of all, ‘Get Steady’ (which was written as a John Reed Club song eight years ago) and is able to leave the choruses resonating in the listeners ears. Whilst these tracks are powerful enough, they don’t seem to measure up to the infectious pop-punk of ‘What You Gonna Do’ and ‘You Stand Accused Young Man’, both singles from the band’s debut. The older singles had an infectious, make-you-want-to-dance quality that it isn’t as prevalent on El Sol. Regardless, the aggressive heavily outweighs the passive on this album and ensures that, at their best, The City Lights can still be the life of a party, even if the trip to Spain and the extra members is just a detour.