Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, Coldplay would be absolutely humbled should Chris Martin and company ever have occasion to hear this polished debut by the Sackville-bred, Halifax-based quartet In-Flight Safety.
Back in England, the Coldplay formula — chiming guitars and/or hammering keyboards, soaringly earnest vocals and clockwork crescendos — has already bred a slew of successful copycats, including Starsailor and Keane. Seldom has the blueprint been followed as faithfully as it is on "Coast is Clear," the opening track here. Singer/lyricist John Mullane's line-ending elongations of the words "fear" and "clear" so closely echo Martin's yearning intonation some listeners will wonder if their ears are playing tricks.
Career-wise, this may not necessarily be a bad thing, as Keane's impressive sales and Mercury Prize nomination attests. And there is no question the 10 warmly textured tracks on The Coast is Clear are impressively executed. If the goal is to be Canada's Coldplay, In-Flight Safety can stop now. In-Flight Safety launches the CD with a set Tuesday at the Horseshoe Tavern.
Source: http://www.thestar.com
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