The Pigeon Detectives - Emergency

MOGstars: 7 out of 10If someone were to draw a map of the route to musical success, the second album would surely be marked “here be dragons.” Countless bands have lost their way in the stormy seas between the scilla and charybdis of keeping their sound fresh but not departing too far. The wreckage of the Stone Roses’ Second Coming still pokes above the surface, even if more recent travellers such as Arctic Monkeys managed to steer their way through to superstardom. Almost one year to the day after the release of debut album Wait For Me, Leeds based indie-rockers The Pigeon Detectives have launched themselves headlong in to this treacherous stretch with follow-up release Emergency.Having made their name with the dancefloor friendly staccato beats and shouted choruses of Wait for Me and I Found Out, there it is no shock to see veteran post-punk producer Stephen Street (Blur, The Kaiser Chiefs) taking the controls for this journey. Equally unsurprising is the slowly ascending bassline of lead single This Is An Emergency, which slowly burns into a flourish of clashing guitars. However by previous standards, this is a rather lacklustre blast of power punk. The chorus is far clumsier than former outings, and the result is a rather less enthusiastic stomp which cruises rather than explodes into the rest of the album.Slightly more impressive is the vitriol infused I’ll Be Waiting. A thumping song of hate that seems to stick two fingers up at everyone around, the crash of guitars echoes pub car park punch-ups, whilst chorus “I’ll be waiting for you/when you want to go” is the most melodic way to start a fight I’ve heard for a while. Lyrically the song stands up with The Detectives’ finest moments, with concise and perfectly timed blasts of ire are as suited for dancing as they are for fighting.I’m A Liar serves as an interesting alteration to the tried formula. Although the frantic strum and drum ideal is sufficiently present to inspire cathartic limb flailing in indie clubs across the country, the controlled build-up makes this a more measured track. “Although I don’t know your name/I could love you just the same/For tonight”, provides a flash of cynical witticism that elevates this above the usual unrequited and unwelcome young love of the Detectives’ previous tracks.Yet this song is ultimately one of too few stand out songs on the album. As The Pigeon Detectives attempt to steer their way through the perils of the second album, they veer too close to the classic errors. Several tunes seem like they just missed inclusion on the debut, and have been rescued from the cutting room floor to ensure a speedy release - Don’t You Want to Find Out feels like I Found Out’s more conservative cousin, and proves to be one of several forgettable moments that spoil the album. As the rudder drifts towards blandness, the band undermine the good work they have done at steering this album towards a more adult position - Keep On Your Dress is a mature moment that bridges the gap between a thoughtful future and the frantic E-number filled energy of the first record, a gap vaulted by the sincere acoustic track Nothing to Do With You. However attempts to do the same thing with a secret track on the end of Everybody Wants Me result in what sounds like a bizarre percolation of King of The Road.In the end, Emergency is not a shipwreck caught in the rapids of the sophomore slump, but nor is it a smooth crossing towards less troubled times. It is an album that shows that The Pigeon Detectives can do more than shout slogans for vodka and Red Bull fuelled students to dance to, however it fails to capture the pure energy of their debut. Just as disappointing however, is the band’s reticence to make a full leap into the unknown. On the tracks where they revel in departing from the standard formula the result is impressive, yet elsewhere they just flounder in second rate versions of their own songs. Thus, while this album does not send the band to the depths of obscurity, it remains to be seen how they will weather future storms.