The Answering Machine - Olklahoma

The Answering Machine – Oklahoma

Chris George

It’s not always helpful to liken one band to another but there’s just no getting around the fact that “Oklahoma” sounds an awful lot like Is This It-era Strokes. It needn’t be a bad thing, but there’s something wrong about feeling over-familiar with a band you’ve never listened to before. The vocals are wonderfully English, affable and work well with the slightly odd lyrics (“Her eyes look black like a telephone” Erm… Sure, why not). The up-beat jangly guitars and simple bass-lines are nice and catchy, but it’s hard to shake off the fact that we’ve heard it all before.

The B-side, “The Hold Up” deserves mention because it’s definitely better than the A-side. Melancholy yet still energetic, the vocals are more genuine and the sound is more engaging. B-sides are often a good way to see how good a band actually is and “The Hold Up”, shows that actually The Answering Machine have more to offer than “Oklahoma” itself would suggest.