Standard Fare: Out of Sight, Out of Town

Standard Fare
Out of Sight, Out of Town
Melodic

Back for a sophomore effort after the delectable delight of 2010’s The Noyelle Beat, Sheffield, England’s Standard Fare returns with Out of Sight, Out of Town. Songstress Emma Cooper once again utilizes Standard Fare’s playful pop formula to summon visions of Chrissie Hynde, and gives hope of front-to-back gold from the first notes of “The Look of Lust.” But, unfortunately, Cooper’s obvious strengths as a frontwoman are enlisted on only two-thirds of the record, as guitarist Danny How takes lead vocal duties on four of the 12 tracks. Simply put, How is more or less a flat-liner on the mic; a voice you’ve heard a thousand times before that was never really that interesting in the first place. Cuts like “Kicking Puddles,” “Bad Temper” and “Call Me Up” are basically lost causes, as the only logical train of thought is to ruminate on how much better the melodies would sound coming out of Cooper. That being said, there are still eight steady doses of our heroine; the likes of “Older Women” beckoning repetition on a fan’s playlist.
Jacob Sprecher

Tags: emma cooper, England, new record, out of sight, out of town, sheffield, sophomore, standard fare