Band: InMe
Album: White Butterfly
Label: Pandora’s Box Records
Year: 2005
Rating: 3/5
After the love-hate reception of their debut ‘Overgrown Eden’ (it sold 50,000 copies in the UK alone, however many buyers were vociferously disappointed), InMe’s second release was always going to be just a bit relevant to their future. Now, I’m told by a sickening biased press release in front of me that InMe have drawn on a number of musical influences for the recording of ‘White Butterfly’. Quote: “from the classic rock of Iron Maiden to the dark broodings of Dimmu Borgir, from the eclectic Talk Talk to the modern poetry of John Mayer.” Exciting stuff, huh? Well, don’t get your hopes up.
Undoubtedly, InMe have matured, expanded, grown and developed since ‘Overgrown Eden’. But perhaps not enough to make this a worthwhile buy. With a new record deal with V2 and the input of producer Josh Abraham (Limp Bizkit, Courtney Love, Korn, Velvet Revolver), it’s little suprise that InMe have managed to create a more intense record, and it is – for sure – a far darker release than their debut. Opener ‘7Weeks’ thunders in with big hooks and a slidey-wah-wah-poundy feel. This’ll be a hit with the kids, but for anyone looking a bit deeper than MTV2 approval, ‘7Weeks’ will be a mere replication of a thousand other lead singles. The beginning of ‘So You Know’ blends seamlessly into the end of ‘7Weeks’ – is this a new track? Oh, yes it is…
With 15 tracks on here including two apparently rare bonus tracks, there’s plenty of room for variation, and – to their credit – InMe certainly do that. ‘This Town’ starts delicately and builds into searing balladry before you’ve got time to yell ‘Cliché!’. The title track is slightly dreary, very static and has a confused mush of whiny treble backing vocals. Moving on… ‘Safe In A Room’ is OK, a bit catchy, slightly heavier. The reflective ‘Almost Lost’ has heaps of synths and even more vocal harmonies, resulting in a track that could easily be filler from a Backstreet Boys album. But without being quite good enough. Meanwhile the quiet-loud-sad-angry mix of ‘A World Apart’ just about makes up for the previous sub-standard material. Closing track ‘Parting Gift’ is a pleasant acoustic number with cello counter-melodies, rounding up the album on a good note.
This is far from the mediocrity of ‘Overgrown Eden’, but for the serious music fan, it may still appear to be a little undone. There’s definitely room for improvement, but InMe have recorded ‘White Butterfly’ having beared in mind their targeted fanbase. And that targeted fanbase will probably be quite satisfied with the results.
- RED
