Review of Aztec Camera's "Knife"

Knife (1984) is the second album from British band Aztec Camera. Produced by Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits fame) it is a cheery little pop album, filled with sweet tunes and catchy arrangements. The obviously 80s sound also gives it a nice, quaint feel.

All these songs are the work of lead singer Roddy Frame. Basically, as reading a little music history will indicate, Roddy Frame is Aztec Camera. A founding member of the band, he has been the one constant factor as quite a few musicians have come and gone since the debut record High Land, Hard Rain was released in 1983.

And his longevity is a good thing too. Frame is one of those singer-songwriters who, for whatever reason, have an ear for melody. While some people will torture themselves to come up with a semblance of a melody, others just have a magical ability to produce them from nowhere. Frame, as Knife demonstrates, is one such person.

For all that, this is merely a good, rather than a very good or outstanding album. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, there is a distinct lack of variety. Seven out of the nine tracks are quite similar- sweet, catchy pop songs. Only two stand out for their variety. ‘Backwards and Forwards’ is melancholic where other songs, such as ‘Still on Fire’ are bright. And then there is the title track that is over nine minutes long. It lazily meanders and, as such, is in obvious contrast to the tighter, more structured songs that fill the rest of the album.

The other point to mention is that while all nine tracks have an obvious, lovely melody, none of these are spine tingling in any way. Really nice, certainly, but nothing which carries the listener to any extraordinary emotional heights. If one were to use an athletic metaphor, Frame would best be described as a solid rather than spectacular performer.

But that is really not such a bad thing. Knife is the kind of record you can keep on your shelf for many, many years, always confident that every time you get around to picking it up and putting it on it will always sound nice- rather than brilliant. And that is a lot more than can be said for most music.

RATING: 7/10

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