The Firm EP

Generic rip-off + Atonal singer = Stay away
by: Tim Wardyn

The Firm EP Rock label: Self-Released released: 02.08.08 our score: 1.5 out of 5.0

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Take the trio Muse, add a gorgeous female bassist (make the other dude a guitarist), strip away any sort of tone and pitch from the vocals and make it a little more like new wave, then you have The Firm. The London quartet has released a four song self-titled EP that seems more like an afterthought instead of an actual attempt at making music that is good.

"Fulfilment of the Faint Hearted" is a basic new wave pop track that sounds like they took a basic scale and added a beat to it, while "If You Don’t Want to Know Life’s Dismal Results" showcases vocalist Ross Liddle’s severe vocal limitations. He sounds a little like the lead singer of Joy Division, but with a three note range. And even when he’s singing those notes, he’s out of tune and just plain bad, especially when singing the climax to "The Art of Saying No." It’s like he’s not even trying to hit the notes.

The Firm is like an extraordinarily generic combination of Joy Division and Muse. The self-titled EP is like an afterthought for the group which seems more into running their nightclub called The Vapour Trail. Maybe they should stick with the club scene.