Any half decent bands from Exeter now face the inevitable mention and reference to one of the most famous recent celebrities, Chris Martin of Coldplay fame. Now that is out of the way, the fact is that the next new band; the Buffseeds may just be able to live up to that and beyond starting with this, a pretty fine debut called The Picture Show

The name Buffseeds will probably not draw too much of a response when put to people. The band are typically low key, but their album ?The Picture Show? is one of those real gems that should be given a listen, and more should be made of. Exeter is not exactly a hotbed of pop music history in recent times. Coldplay Chris Martin, Muse are from South Devon, which is close enough, and dubious claim on Will Young who went to university there. Buffseeds have forged a bit of a reputation locally, plus small critical acclaim when they released earlier work. While the comparison to Coldplay is more lazy that very accurate, Buffseeds sound closer in similarity to JJ72 just for the vocals and softer sounds, but are very easy to listen, full of nice melodies and firm guitar pieces while the stand out feature is undoubtedly singer Kieran Scragg?s falsetto vocals. Possibly not to all peoples tastes as with most high tone voices, it is a fine talent and sound fantastic at times throughout the album. Slick production make the album more than an average local band, though does not manage to quite capture the epic proportions that are sometimes attempted and failed. At several song they do manage to get it right, ?Sparkle Me?, ?Riot?, ?Barricade? and ?Stole the Weekend? are more than a match for other musical artists out there, and should be investigated for any indie/alternative band with a touch of class and style to them.

1. Sparkle Me
A classy start to the album, beginning with one of the stand out tracks. There is a well crafted long intro into the song with each instrument kicking in turn before the vocals come in.
As soon as they do it feels great with the sweeping vocals soothing you. The chorus is catchy and with enough class to it, despite some slightly dodgy lines, I?m no Jackanory/but this is allegory

but you, Fall on me/watch tv/pick up the phone, i need a conversation

2. Casino
Released as a single with received some play, so there is a chance you may have heard of it. Starts off slower, but catches on with a great chorus in a louder tone with crunching guitars. More up tempo than the openers, still the vocals are soft enough to sooth but with a rock edge

and all we do is try and have some fun/Roll the dice, animal are you in luck today

3. Sunlight
The third track is another top quality track. Again the vocals are allowed to shine through above quite a bare guitar and strings section. An optimistic song with the general tone of the message in the chorus, but still is able to be dark and slightly menacing. There is a lovely outro with lots of strings complementing it well.

this is where we come out of the rain/and into the sunlight

4. A Guide to Happiness
Stars off with a really strong guitar riff as the intro, the song does however quickly slip into the standard territory of the album. The chorus picks up the pace with a slightly more aggressive tone to the vocals, but the song is more about the melodies and crafting of the song to make it great to listen to.

The World is going to turn/Afraid of what you might be

5. The Day She Fell to Earth
A much more moody and reflective song. The only thing about the song, is like some of the others on the album it tries too hard to be an epic and there is something missing so it just fails to hit the spot. It is still a fantastic song for me, a mess of music that works well on top of some of the best examples of the vocal talents.

can I be your loved one, till you shine like the sun/yeah shine like the sun

6. Who Stole th
e Weekend
One of the best songs on the album, quite simply a fantastic track. It has everything, a great chorus to really sing along to, little guitar riffs everywhere, great lyrics and a perfectly managed tune. Very upbeat song, it can cheer up anyone. It appeared on an episode of Teachers on Channel 4 last week which surprised me, but it deserves more recognition. Great stuff

a minute with you/is better than a year with myself

7. Barricade
Another great song, where the band manage to sum up much of the worlds problems into a bright three minute pop song. The lyrics are probably the best of the album on here, no mean feat as there are nice touches all over the place. It is slightly strange with each line of the song answering another, but it is a nice sounding tune with sunny guitars and that great voice again.

you?ve been fighting for ages/but what for?/and religion has left by the back door/someone tell me/

8. Coward
Slightly less of a great song, they lose the bright pop song of the past few songs and slip into a reflective and depressing mood again. It is more emotional, a very open song that is well done with the subtle guitar and string parts dropped in, but just fails again to have a spark to set it off.

don?t tell my friends i?m a coward/did you keep the receipt/i want everything that?s mine

9. Riot
Back again with another stunning tune. Again not the happy pop, a despondent tune, but it has something the other tracks like it have been missing. It has all the emotion and feeling put straight into the vocals and some really heartfelt and clever lyrics. Moves easily between quiet parts where the vocals take lead, and builds at times into an onslaught of noise and great guitars. Easily up there with the best three tracks on the album, fantastic number

bring the tear gas/i?ve forgotten how to cry/i feel a riot inside

10. Buy Her Flowers
Not really a great song, an al
bum track that carries on towards the end of the album. Not a great song, but not a bad one either. It is happy to plod along with the occasional burst of a decent guitar of voice, nice and easy to listen to. It is their way of doing a love song, you can feel in the lyrics it is a personal matter and it along with the album is so much the better for it.

she?s a californian daydream girl/do you feel she?s there every waking hour

11. Ocean Blue
This track keeps the album going with another great track near the end of the album if it ever threatened to die out. Another upbeat message and accompanied with some great music. The chorus is alive with the energy and has a sunny feel to it, one of the sort that always cheers you up. Similar otherwise of the rest of the album, consistent with the nice touches with lyrics, stunning vocals and good guitars and drumming. Very good song.

put the sun back in the box/we?ll open it another day/when the rain has passed us by

12. Hideaway
Slow drum solo opens up the song, then accompanied by some well placed guitars. Not the storming tune to end an album, but nothing poor keeping the good consistency of the album up to the end. A much more relaxed song with bare voice and instruments, punctuated well with stings.

hideaway, this is just a hideaway/all my secrets they come to creep/will you drink from my sleep

The album fills you with a nice sense of how music can sound good. It is be calm and relaxing, and the perfect soundtrack to just about anything there in the background. Its one of those albums that you can put on at any time and enjoy it, it just has that quality to it. It is a shame the band are not better known than they are, they have to potential to have a very acceptable sound and can make good music. There is just a question of them lacking that something special to put them over the edge, but the album is certainly very good and any one that may be interested s
hould check them out.