ALBUM: Swiss Lips 'Swiss Lips'

I can remember the first time that I heard the Scissor Sisters’ debut album and fell in love with it immediately; I feel the exact same about this debut album by the rather splendid, Swiss Lips.

It’s hard to believe that this five piece outfit are making their music under a grey Manchester sky. They would fit in perfectly with the American electro/pop scene producing fantastic bands such as NYC’s, The Ballet. That’s not to say that Manchester is not known for the kind of music that Swiss Lips are producing; The likes of New Order will remind me of this. They could easily blend in with the American scene also, should they choose to.

Throughout this debut you can hear traces of Depeche Mode amongst others, but they are very much their own band, making their mark, and they have been doing so for years. The band were quite keen to produce an album and not just a collection of songs and they have succeeded. Each song blends perfectly into the next and you really get the sense that they are trying to tell a story via their words and music.

The opening track ‘Books’ is a tour de force and has me hooked. I don’t think I will ever tire of listening to it. It’s hard to pick “stand out” tracks though because every song stands out for different reasons. ‘U Got The Power’ (a debut track) is addictive while ‘Honey’, with its repetitive lyrics and echoing backing vocals, is effective and really catchy. ‘In The Water’ could so easily be found on a Scissor Sisters album. It’s no surprise that in the past they have supported the likes of Ladyhawke (another debut album that I wore out).

Swiss Lips are giving real credibility back to pop music. This album is not a compilation of disposable songs. They have longevity and a depth to them. It is a hard balance to achieve and I am pleased that they can do so. From what I can tell of their music history they have been caught up in legal wrangles. Now they are free to release songs like ‘Forever’, an absolute delight for the ears.

It is pleasing to have ten well written, well crafted pop songs flirting with dance and electro and making no apologies for it. Below the frothy surface, though, is some dark subject matter. Well, they are from Manchester, home to some of the finest song writers depicting the bleak landscape.

Brian Wilson is littered everywhere in interviews and songs like ‘Carolyn’ pay homage to the beach boy. Manchester meets California. Manchester has its own Beach Boys now – I think that they are here to stay.

Swiss Lips is released on 16th March via Sony Music.