The Fallout Trust - 'In Case of the Flood' (At Large) Released 27/02/06

With the release of debut album ‘In Case of The Flood’ at the end of February, and a UK tour to go with it, the year of our lord 2006 looks like being a good one for The Fallout Trust. And not before time – this Bristol sextet’s been going about its business for a good many years already and 'In Case of The Flood' looks like it’s been a fair while in the making. That said, there’s clearly some truth to the old adage that good things come to those who wait. It seems that a lot of thought has gone into this album, a lot of patience and a whole lotta love. That might be a load of cobblers but it’s certainly the impression you get when listening to it.

The crisp, almost machine-like drum sound and sparkling guitars, all washed over with Joe Winter’s Thom Yorke-style vocals mesh together to create an intriguing overall sound, unique in that it manages to be powerful and commanding without having to be particularly heavy. Moreover, standing head and shoulders above the rest of the album, ‘Before The Light goes’, with its incisory bass-line and sharp melody building to a beautifully cathartic chorus, is just one of the tracks that demonstrate that this is truly is a band who know no box to look outside of as far as songwriting’s concerned. Undeniably it’s basically pop, but it’s different, very much so, and the same can be said in varying degrees for the rest of the album.

From atmospheric violin-playing to periodic dalliances with big-band-style brass arrangements and funky piano sections, each song is consistently diverse in its make-up. By and large though, this is an album of intelligent, reflective choons and relaxed, laid back vibe, perhaps a little too much on the mellow side for everybody’s taste but never the less a commendable debut, and one which could ensure great things for the band in 2006.