There's a gap in the market for a band of Red Light Company's ilk; the euphoria surrounding Editors has temporarily subsided, Arcade Fire are still 'on a break', and The Airborne Toxic Event, who have also garnered comparisons to those two bands, simply don't have an album good enough to back up the hype.
Yes, the London quintet are the latest in a neverending line of 'Next Big Things' to hit the alt-rock scene, and it's highly likely that you'll have heard their single 'Scheme Eugene' on the radio (its catchy refrain "Hanging out with Scheme Eugene / And blame the broken social scene / What you don't have you won't miss it when you're gone" is about the best thing here). They make no apologies for their brazen stadium-rock leanings, though; the bulk of 'Fine Fascination' consists of repetitive verse-chorus-verse arrangements, with big guitars and even bigger production values. These songs are well-paced and solidly-constructed, often starting with a keyboard riff and building to a fist-thumping, guitar-drenched climax - indeed, several of these tracks owe more to Simple Minds ('Arts & Crafts', 'The Architect') than Arcade Fire.
The only problem - and it's a big one - is that Red Light Company offer absolutely no distinguishing features. Is there evidence of skilled musicianship here? Are these lyrics wrought from the mind of a man who has spent a lifetime labouring over them? Not every album needs to be spectacular to make an impression, but now and again, a little originality wouldn't go amiss. Beyond the semi-catchy choruses, gnarled vocals and mid-tempo mundanities, there's little of it on offer here.
