You see, if people are as obsessed with confessional piano-driven pop as Coldplay's massiveness would suggest, why the hell aren't bands like Fourth Floor Collapse huge by default? After all, Drink 'til You Drown - with its twinkling verse and rousing chorus - is better than anything Coldplay have done since Parachutes. Not that quality ever guaranteed success of course, but music like this deserves to be played - loudly. Do your bit, Australia.
The fact that Fourth Floor Collapse are still relatively unknown defies reason, considering their success in hometown Perth and significant airplay on radio station Triple J. They have preceded their third full length album (Books With Broken Spines, due out in February) with the release of the first single Drink 'til You Drown, which the band themselves consider to be their signature song thus far. The all-male group creates a chorus line that reverberates with a sound so strong and so emotive, driven largely by frontman Michael Miller's passionate and energetic vocals. The release also features two B-sides. This is a promising introduction to the new album from this talented outfit.
The initial thing you notice about the first song off the now Melbourne-based three-piece's forthcoming album is the seriousness of the song's moving lyrics, in particular the striking chorus: 'Everything's good but we're terrified/But nothing this good could ever survive/So put up the walls that we just pulled down/Buy bottled water and drink 'til you drown...' In an age of terrorism this rings true - although we live in a prosperous and free country we find ourselves preparing for the worst-case scenarios. Michael Miller's voice carries with it not only the predicament we find ourselves in, but also the beauty in the world. Impressive stuff.
Michael Miller's voice bears a striking resemblance to Starsailor's James Walsh, which could play an unfortunate role in the construction of one's opinion upon first exposure to Perth-born/melbourne-based Fourth Floor Collapse. British indie illusions (sic) aside, the band's new single eclipses all that has come before it. An anthemic indie shanty, Drink manages to overcome its twee chime-laden verse (Delta's got that market cornered fellas) with a soaring, all-voice-in chorus. It's stirring stuff, a call-out (albeit with social blinkers attached) for those who take their way of life for granted, and good luck to you if you don't have the refrain 'Everything's good and we're terrified', circling in your head for a good while after the fact.
