Celeb Car Crash is an Italian rock band who have supported the likes of Lacuna Coil and Coheed and Cambria. They have been championed by Revolver Magazine and Virgin Radio in Italy. With their reputation soaring, they released their debut album Ambush in 2013. Their sophomore album, People Are The Best Show came out on 25th November. In comparison to Ambush, People Are the Best Show is inconsistent, with some bright spots and forgettable dirges.
On listening to People Are the Best Show, Celeb Car Crash don’t add too much to what’s already been done before. Lead single ‘Let Me In’ is reminiscent of a clean-sounding radio rock track from the early 2000’s, and aside from some swirling guitar effects, it doesn’t scream excitement. However, despite this false start, there are some catchy hooks later on, particularly on ‘Because I’m Sad’ and ‘The Whereabouts’. The latter track in particular contains a breezy chorus.
‘Hello Morning’ is a below-par Kings of Leon track that disintegrates into a sea of forgetfulness. Despite the neat, distinctive guitar licks, singer Nicola Briganti could perhaps sing with more conviction. He makes up for this on ‘January’, with a big chorus and grunge-style vocals. The intro riff to this track really sets the mood, the huge riffs working extremely well.
At the halfway point of the album, it’s clear that Celeb Car Crash have a diverse palette of influences, most of them from the 90s alternative rock scene such as Nirvana, Metallica, and Alice in Chains. The upbeat ‘Murder Party’ features another big riff, with the guitars and the bass in particular being well mixed. However the vocal delivery is poorly executed.
The second half of the album contains some well-crafted songwriting. ‘Enemy’s Desire’ and ‘Stereo (The Body of Christ)’ both sound like they take influence from Oasis, and this works well. The fuzzy distorted bass of the former track coupled with the dual guitars of Briganti and Carlo Alberto Morini add a strong summery grit to the album. The latter track features a fast driving riff, which increases in momentum, leaving the listener satisfied.
The final track, ‘Nearly in Bloom’ could be a reference to the Nirvana track ‘In Bloom’. It’s a change from the heavy riffs, with a dreamy organ and atmospheric piano shaking things up, but like the rest of the album it seems like a case of what might have been. If Celeb Car Crash had been around in the 90s they could have been huge; and although People Are the Best Show might attract fans of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, it feels stuck in the past.
Words by Ermis Madikopoulos