Grand Avenue [debut]
release date: Oct. 9, 2003
format: cd (EMI 5927422)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Nick Foss, Rune Nissen-Petersen; Grand Avenue
label: Medley-EMI - nationality: Denmark
Track highlights: 1. "What's on Your Mind" - 2. "This Is Not an End" - 3. "Take It as It Comes" (4 / 5) - 4. "Everyday" - 9. "As You Are" - 11. "Come 'Round"
Studio debut album by Grand Avenue consisting of vocalist Rasmus Walter Hansen also on guitar, harmonica, and Rhodes, Niels-Kristian Bærentzen on guitar, Marc Charles Stebbing on bass, and with Hjalte Thygesen on drums. Early on, the band was "promised" a golden career by international artists including R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. Others saw the band merely as a clone of British soft rock bands and especially Coldplay. I found this particular album quite promising and have never found the bold Coldplay nor Chris Martin analogies in either Grand Avenue nor in the voice of Rasmus Walter. He does; however, at times sound like the aforementioned Stipe, and the band has generally more American indie pop rock-roots in its style than britpop, imho.
The album contains great tracks and a few fillers but all-in-all it's a fine debut.
[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]
