Counting Crows; Underwater Sunshine

While most people may know the Counting Crows as the creators of the Shrek 2 theme song, Accidentally in Love, which won the Californian group a well-deserved Oscar, their rocky tunes and non-sensical yet somehow brilliant lyrics have rapidly accelerated the Crows in to the position of my favourite band. Their new album, Underwater Sunshine, released in April 2012, was therefore eagerly anticipated. Many of the tracks are reminiscent of earlier Crows songs (Rain King and Mr Jones), with familiar rhythms and riffs, although the album has a much greater countrified feel, particularly You Ain’t Goin Nowhere, which left me feeling like the self-satisfied owener of a mustang with larger than life wheels that’s casually blowing up dust on a hot day in the mid-west.

Many of the songs are of much of a muchness; I found myself with that disappointing feeling you get where you listen to a whole album and struggle to distinguish each new song from its predecessor. But, there are a few good tunes; Untitled (Love Song), Return of the Grievous Angel and Four White Stallions stood out for me, but the album is missing the rocky edge that the Crows do so well, and which their previous albums showcased; the soulful vocals of Adam Duritz in I Wish I Was a Girl or the slower-paced, more melodic Sullivan Street. Despite being a little underwhelmed with this new release, until they bring some tour dates to the UK, I’m still considering a plane ticket to the States, if only to hear that live rendition of Round Here...