nothing to undo
Reviewed by: Tobias Handke
Published: 24 March 2011
lp: kiss this thing goodbye
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and that phrase should also apply to album covers. With stick figure characters adorning the front and back of the album and an ambiguous band name, I was expecting another run of the mill modern indie record from local kids Nothing To Undo. Oh how wrong was I.
Kiss This Thing Goodbye is an album of diverse influences and sounds that can best be described as goth-rock or alternate-metal. Featuring chugging guitar riffs reminiscent of the nu-metal era, haunting piano laced tracks and vocalist Claire Chittleborough’s soaring voice, Kiss This Thing Goodbye has a very similar sound to work by American rockers Evanescence.
The project of one Chittleborough, a classically trained musician as a child, Nothing To Undo is her first serious attempt at writing and singing since deciding to pursue a music career 5 years ago. Taking elements of the classical style of her formative years as well as darker rock sounds of the late '90s, Nothing To Undo is a million miles away from the indie images I had conjured.
Chittleborough’s rock influences are easily spotted throughout Kiss This Thing Goodbye. Album opener ‘Game Over’ sounds like an Evanescence B-side, complete with Chittleborough’s gloomy lyrics about the end of a tumultuous relationship, while ‘The Fortress’ has a guitar riff that could have be lifted straight from Linkin Park’s terrific debut Hybrid Theory. ‘Rainfall’, ‘One Day’ and ‘Midnight’ all follow the same alternate-goth blueprint but fail to make an impact, sounding 10 years too late.
That’s not to say the album is unoriginal or lacking ideas. The best moments occur when the band experiment with their rock formula. Title track ‘Kiss This Thing Goodbye’ finds Chittleborough varying her vocals over a piano and light drumming, while the dreamy pop of ‘For A Moment’ is a heartbreaking tale of getting on with your life without that special someone around anymore. It’s these tracks, where Chittleborough strays from the heavier backing of her band, that impress; her poignant soul-searching lyrics and compositions stand out, reminiscent of early Tori Amos. This is displayed no more than on the piano ballad ‘Don’t Ask’, its sparse sound held together by Chittleborough’s ethereal voice, which has a haunting quality that sends shivers down the spine. The Parisian cafe pop of ‘Nothing’s As It Seems’ is also a favourite.
Kiss This Thing Goodbye is a solid first album that tries just a little too hard to be different. Chittleborough has the required pipes of a lead singer, but some of her musical arrangements fail to deliver. If she focuses on the contemporary pop songs that stress her poetic lyrics and bittersweet voice, she has a real chance of finding an audience. I am very intrigued to see what musical direction she follows with future releases, but for now Kiss This Thing Goodbye is an enjoyable entrance into the world of Nothing To Undo.
