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Stateless
Stateless
!K7 Records
Is Chris James the next Chris Martin? Given that he's a frontman who plays both guitar and keyboards, it's not too surprising that his band Stateless (Leeds, UK) is being compared to Coldplay. Unlike Coldplay, however, Stateless employs two programmers (Kidkanevil and Rod Buchanan Dunlop) in addition to its bassist and drummer (Justin Percival and David Levin, respectively). Stateless' self-titled debut thus shies away from current British trends of choppy buzz guitars and new-wave thievery in favor of something a bit smoother. The net effect is that of a band remixing itself as it goes, which places the album in the earlier British tradition of trip-hop acts like Portishead.
James' vocals are definitely contemporary, however. Like Martin, he is somewhat plaintive, but his voice is as versatile as his band's mixing skills. Sometimes he's as sensitive-sounding as Keane's Tom Chaplin, at others, he croons and screams like Muse's Matthew Bellamy. And, in any event, he has better vocal technique than either--that, or Kidkanevil and Dunlop are really good at removing the sound of James' breathing from the mix. Between the vocals and their seamless backdrop, Stateless are a very enjoyable listen. The band's one weakness is their lyrics, which aren't quite subtle enough to jive with everything else of which Stateless have proven themselves capable: "Words can be like knives, they can cut you open..." Indeed.
--Christine Fort
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