If you've heard the name Miracle Bell before, it's probably because they were one of two bands who won a competition to play last year's Oxegen festival. The Kildare quartet, who describe themselves as 'dance-rock', formed in 2005 and this is their debut release. Temperature Rise is a 4-track EP that's the complete antithesis of its title; across its twelve-minute running time there's not a chord struck in originality or a note warbled in individuality - which makes for a very chilly musical proposition altogether. The title track, tangled around a football-indie-anthem power riff, suffers from hammy vocal work and poor production values; Hallucinogenic's lyrics ('I want you in my life / Then you'll be my wife') leave much to be desired, while Tomorrow's bland indie-rock is indubitably radio-friendly, but ultimately grim. Closer Trantmania is the only thing that saves this EP from utter dreadfulness, and sees the foursome engage in a slightly more interesting, angular and in-any-way-creative tactic. Overall, though, the only thing being raised here is the critical guillotine.
