PICTURES - Promise

Those who still remember the important grunge band Union Youth from the beginning of the 2000s will recognize two faces here. Maze Exler sings and plays again guitar, Michael Borwitzky sits again on drums. Ole Fries (guitar) and Markus Krieg (bass) also appeared in the districts of Union Youth. The now released single »Down Under The Hill« is actually already five years old. Now the four musicians call themselves Pictures and have recorded with "Promise" a record, which was made to clean and enjoy. The combination of such unobtrusive band and album names brings some search engines to their limits. This must be symptomatic of the apparent conventionality of the music, but it is bursting with convincing emotionality and originality: this record is made for the uninhibited melodists. In "See The Sun," it sounds magical and ringing in the background, "Fall" is almost like a steady stream, and "Let The Music Shine" is almost too radio-like. The heart is the modest romantic "Emily", in which Exler's sometimes fragile voice hovers wonderfully in the foreground. Here it does not scratch and itch, the album is easily digestible, but nevertheless complex, and it is true, without being bleak. Record Label: Virgin Style: Rock