Bank Place Locomotive Society is like an Alzheimer’s patient on a chairlift: up, down, up, down, and so on. Fife quintent Tango In The Attic start out their debut album with a trio of bright, clean pop tunes in the form of ‘One Step’, ‘Seven Second Stare’ and ‘Off To…’, and it all seems reasonably promising: indeed, ‘Seven Second Stare’, may very well be an overall highlight, with its catchy hook (don’t we all need a holiday, Daniel Craig?) and adorable sense of social awkwardness. This poppy opening movement, however, does not set the tone for the album overall.
Tango In The Attic try to show their garage-band face on ‘Sketch’, ‘A Healthy Distraction’ and ‘One Step Ahead’; eschewing the early album’s electronic blips in favour of a grittier sound. Unfortunately, they show far less flair on this rockier section; these tracks have considerably less personality, and are probably the source of the seemingly mandatory comparisons to Vampire Weekend (and what an unfavorable comparison it is).
Tango In The Attic - 'Off To...'
The album finds a second wind with ‘Jackanory’, and the return of those cheerful beeps and catchy hooks from before it all got so serious. As an American, I can’t comment on Vic Galloway’s classification of the song as a “Scottish anthem of the future”; only that, whatever its cultural significance, it’s a damn good song.
The rest of the tracks bring a touch of melancholy to proceedings, and generally seem to mark a distinct downhill trend. None of the songs on Bank Place Locomotive Society are genuinely bad, just vaguely uninteresting. It’s a shame that Tango In The Attic’s quality varies as much as their tone because, like a less hysterical and more Scottish Of Montreal, Tango are capable of excellent things. This just isn’t the best showcase.
Our Arbitrary Numerical Verdict:
Margret Crist is Stereokill's US correspondent, based in San Francisco. Email her at 
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