Most people have probably heard of a small, quaint little tour known as Warped Tour that comes to a city near you on a yearly basis. Well if you were lucky enough to attend said tour this year, than you may have heard a band known as You Me at Six play.
Hailing from Weybridge, Surrey in the UK, these five guys [Josh Franceschi (vocals), Max Helyer (guitar), Matt Barnes (bass), Chris Miller (guitar) and Dan Flint (drums)] are in no way your average Brit Pop or “British Invasion” band. This would be a good time to mention that I do not have anything against this particular musical genre. In fact, I am a proud owner of many an Oasis and Blur CD. But…if you are expecting that kind of sound on Take Off Your Colours, you will likely be quite surprised..
Taking from pop and fast-paced rock and punk, You Me at Six have perfected a sound that, at first listen, may remind you of other bands on the scene right now. Once you get to about song number three on their nineteen track album (a fact which as a consumer, I greatly appreciate; twenty tracks= a lot of bang for your buck!), you realize that these guys are quite different. “And why are they different, Jackie?” you ask. Well I will tell you why in one mere word: emotion. The tracks on this album are not piles of summer anthems or shallow, surface level songs about breakups, lost love, and disdain. These tracks take it up a notch and to an entirely different level. Franceschi’s voice alone conveys such a range of emotions on this album that I was blown away. And the music matches the emotions of his voice to a “t.: I had to pump the CD on the surround sound stereo speakers in my house just so I could get the full effect of every line and every lyric.
“The Truth is a Terrible Thing,” the first track on the album literally flows right into “Gossip”—the second track—without a hitch. “Finders Keepers” is a youthful love/breakup track that cleverly plays on the old saying “finders keepers, loser’s weepers.” “Jealous Minds” mixes heart-thumping guitar with clever lyrics that go a little something like “You could be the ghost in my hall” and “I could be the fly on your wall.” “Take Off Your Colours” is deservedly the title track of the album. It really is the epitome of the tone and feel of the entire album. “You’ve Made Your Bed, So Sleep In It” is another example of how this band takes your average, day-to-day cliché phrase and flips it on its side to make a great song and great song title.
Another nice touch to the album are the two acoustic versions of “Save it For the Bedroom” and “Finders Keepers” that conclude Take Off Your Colours.
Boys and girls alike will be hit right in the gut with this emotion-ridden album, there is no doubt about it. So if you’ve just gone through a bad breakup, if the girl of your dreams isn’t giving you the time of day in the halls at school or if you’re just a happy contented gal or fellow, you will pick up this album and blast it out of your surround sound speakers (or your car, either is equally acceptable) too.
