The Enemy - 'Sing When You're In Love'
Post categories: Reviews
| 11:08 UK time, Thursday, 18 June 2009
I've never really noticed The Enemy existed until now. No, I haven't been living under a rock for the past two years (although some people might think this is true, seeing as I'm from a small English village that according to my friends "surely can't have electricity?!"); it's more the case that I couldn't actually name any Enemy songs, even if forced to. But I could almost certainly sing along should they come on the radio (although I can't promise I'd get the words right).
You see, 'Away From Here' and 'Had Enough' (Yeah, OK, I can name them NOW. Thank you, Wikipedia), for example, are infectious pop songs that have a sly way of wriggling their way inside your brain without any consent whatsoever (a song can wriggle, right?).
Sadly, with 'Sing When You're in Love', there is no chance of that happening.
(. Which is a painstaking re-enactment of the film Quadrophenia - a painstaking re-enactment of the '60s mod scene. Gah, MY BRAIN!)
I feel I should explain how much I wanted to like this song. Not because I owe the Enemy anything (other than maybe sympathy towards the fact that they have to bear such ridiculous haircuts for the sake of their career), but more because I want to get excited about music, I want it to take me somewhere. But I guess this just wasn't the song to do it.
'Sing When You're In Love' feels like it could almost be positive, summery and soulful if it didn't have such an awful air of try-hard to it. While the video has a wonderful vibe, it's a shame the same can't be said of the song. It's just a poor-man's version of Jack Penate's 'Tonight's Today'.
Add to this the fact that the end chant is a little too reminiscent of the Killers' "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier", the fact that it shares a sonic nest with the easily-spotted BabyBird, plus that nagging doubt that you've heard a better version of the whole song, like, twenty million years ago (seriously, me and Fraser had to have a brainstorm to figure out where we recognised the chorus from. The answer? ), and well, the end result is that it doesn't feel that original or exciting.
Perhaps the song's only saving grace are the lyrics. There's something honest and heartfelt behind lines like "every tear in your eye/ Every lump in your throat/ Every beat in your heart that won't let you let go", that could save a slightly better song.
Perhaps it's years of pent up annoyance at lazy 'indie' bands who are way more interested in being cool than producing awesome music... Or, you know, maybe it's just that small village mentality. Either way, the Enemy have entirely failed to make a new friend out of me. 
Download: Out now
CD Released: June 22nd
91Èȱ¬ Music page
(Vicki Lutas)
"'Sing When You're In Love' sounds like a Cliff Richard cover sung by an appliance-salesman-turned-crooner on Britain's Got Talent, even when it's rocking out."
"It's not often these days I fall in love with a song the first time I hear it on the radio."
"'Elephant Song' and 'Be Somebody' should be released as singles and the rest should be forgotten."
Comment number 1.
At 18th Jun 2009, fluffyfinches wrote:Firstly, I totally get you about the whole friends saying "there can't be electricity in an English village!" thing. All the American people I know think I go out to milk the cows every morning and ride round on a tractor. Sheesh.
Secondly, what is it with rocky type bands and communist dictatorships? The Enemy? Music for the People? Green day's Know your Enemy? We are the People? What on earth. Guys, pretending you're rebelling against "the machine" is not cool, firstly because you're a bunch of sissies and secondly because the government are a bunch of sissies. But I digress.
Anyway, onto this song. When I saw the title I had high hopes that it would be like Travis's sing, but embellishing on the line "sing, or the love you bring won't mean a thing". Nope. This song tries to be all folky and liverpoolish, badly. Eew at the sixties video. Yep, they are trying too hard, the chorus is dissapointing, the bridge is woolly... this song is WUBBISH.
But yeah, the lyrics are amazing... this band just killed them. In short, Vicki, I agree with everything you say.
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Comment number 2.
At 24th Jun 2009, thranjax wrote:If they are that bothered about "the machine" why don't they write a withering political bombast about the current situation with MPs expenses or the genuine calamities of the credit crunch, or the slow erosion of our civil liberties instead of this generic "we the people" nonsense or weak love songs like this. If you really despise "the machine" and its trappings don't advertise on the government's snooping sites like facebook and myspace and give any profits to NO2ID.
/rant
Thranjax
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