'New Eyes' is the debut album from house-classical music fusion band from Cambridge, Clean Bandit.
It was almost a year ago today that we first heard what classical music combined with house beats sounds like when this unknown quartet released debut single 'Mozart's House'. It was accompanied from grumblings from many that this fusion just didn't work out. It was only in January of this year when people heard smash hit 'Rather Be' for the first time, that they realised that this quartet had a lot of potential. After months of nervous waiting, this is the final product.
To dispel any initial concerns that people may have, every track on the album does not sound the same. In fact, quite the opposite, Clean Bandit have used their debut album as a means of exploring all the different possibilities that their special classical music fusion formula can go. On the album, you can hear Drum and Bass, Reggae, Jazz sounds, Hip Hop, all with the comfortable energy of house beats flowing through. The album is an adventure into the unknown and the result is not what anybody would expect, though the album misses some structure that would've made the album flow better from song to song.
Within the fusion tracks there is a clear sense of hit and miss. Certain things worked and these things were different for different people. One review I have read argues that 'Mozart's House' and 'Telephone Banking' are the flaws while another puts down 'A+E'. The part of the album that goes pear shaped for me is towards the end when after ten songs which are without a doubt stellar pieces of work, the title track includes a rap verse that is in no way catchy and singing which from my ear is off key. 'Birch' attempts to rescue the situation but fails to relight the spark that the first ten songs had ignited so well that they're ultimate dancing around the house like a crazy person classics.
To conclude, 'Clean Bandit' are an act that by all accounts shouldn't work on paper, and by all means this first album is not perfect. What the album shows is is that anything is possible, and when songs on this album work perfectly (and there are many of them), there is something truly original and spectacular about them. Clean Bandit have a long and exciting career ahead of them and this album is the first of many on a journey which should lead them to worldwide stardom.
8.5/10
Click here to watch the video for the hit single off the album, 'Rather Be'
