Come the Desert is the debut album of Leeds-based six piece Black Diamond Bay. The band consists of two vocalists, an electric guitarist with a penchant for effects pedals, a drummer with an electronic kit and laptops, alongside a seasoned bass player, laptop wizard and the occasional violin.

For a debut album I felt that the group were desperately trying to find their footing - their niche in the market, if you like. The over reliance on electronic manipulation on some of the tracks make for a rather annoying experience on occasion. For example, as the beat on 'The Levels' increases the track sounds like the CD is skipping forwards - to the point where I had to double check that it wasn't.

'Philharmonic Bubbles' sounded very much like something Royksopp would produce, whilst 'Tides' reminded me of Blondie's 'Rapture'.

There is no doubting that Black Diamond Bay's sound is different, the only problem there is that it may be too different for some to warm to.

6

Nick Smithson