Few would have accused Thirsty Merc of trying to reinvent the wheel with their 2004 self-titled debut album.
That said, however, there was an element of quirkiness to some of the early singles (_Emancipate Myself_ in particular) that managed to set them aside, if not above, their peers. The unconventional wordplay and half-spoken, half-sung delivery of vocalist and songwriter Rai Thistlethwayte, while also probably being the first thing pointed to by the band’s detractors, was also their only genuinely distinguishing feature.
This has all but disappeared with the outfit’s second album, Slideshows. What remains is 12 songs of inoffensive radio rock. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, and when you view it on the level playing field of how it sounds, it sounds great. Slickly produced with all the radio friendly trappings – full, loud drums, just enough twin guitar work to get your attention, it’s hard to see this selling any less than its predecessor.
The first three songs, including opener She’s All I Got and first single Twenty Good Reasons, really set the scene for what’s to come. Overproduced, straightforward radio rock with plenty of hooks. The fourth song, The Whole World Reminds Me Of You, brings more than a little of George Harrison into the mix.
After this, the album seems to just pass you by, your attention begins to wane, and before you know it it’s over, so what you’re left with after listening is a collection of catchy songs, never stretching too far from the four-minute verse chorus verse template. The problem here is that the songs seem to just come and go without invoking any sort of response. Indifference is the main emotion I feel from this album and while, all in all, a lot of it does sound good, does that necessarily make it good for you?
