There is something about bands and musicians that makes them tempt fate just a little too often. If "The Sound of Silence" hadn't been the evocative monument of a song that it was, the title alone could have been used by its critics as a weapon of derision.

"The Sound of Silence would be a welcome break from this awful dirge," a critic may have written. For other examples, see band names such as The Boggs, Garbage and a plethora of 70s punk band monikers.

Badly Named Boys:

The same could, in other circumstances be said of a bad that goes by the name of "Bad Beginnings" - particularly when one bears in mind that the following review is a study of their oldest work: their beginnings.

So, are they that bad? Well, no. Not exactly. Bad Beginnings aren't that bad at all.

Tunes:

The sound of Bad Beginnings is that of a grungy noise that occasionally ventures into Hives territory. Lyrics and singing in general account for an unusually some amount of the music in which the guitars' meanderings and drums' rhythms are given time to speak for themselves.

It is only after this sound has been allowed to evolve properly that the singer, by turns growling, snarling and shouting, lets rip with a collection of angsty lyrics.

Demo opener "Last Man Alive" opens with a whine of guitar feedback before a bass guitar riff wanders around the lower reaches of the bass cleff while a lead mirrors the performance overhead. Finally, a chugging of guitars sends the tune into a sonic whirlwind.

If At First...

"Try so hard and I always will/not to burn my bridges", go the lyrics. It's the age old tale of struggling, of trying to succeed, of facing adversity and not giving up. Compared to the efforts of lesser bands, Bad Beginnings take to this theme with ease and imagination.

You will not cringe at their adolescent moroseness. You may even enjoy it.

Salisbury Plain Song:

"Stonehenge" is as solidly built a tune as the landmark it is named after. Again, the guitar lines meander around the melody - always with a good dose of the distortion pedal. It's another adversity song, another cry for help ("Bring down the boys and rescue me"), but it does the trick.

Mad World:

"She Wonders" is the weakest track of the trio. Although still likeable, there is something about the interweaving guitar parts that does not quite match up. Whether or not this is intentional is unknown, but left as it is, you could be mistaken for thinking you are hearing two tunes at once.

The song is all about a girl who does not understand the madness of the world around her. Again, it features a cry for help - a strained voice of a cry for help as Bad Beginnings hit the high notes.

"Can you teach me about the things I need" our depressed man screeches at us. It's painful to listen to - but then it's pain that he is singing about.

tba:

The end result is that Bad Beginnings seem to be a band entirely worthy of attention. So much so, they may just have to change their name...

17/03/04 - First published on www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire under this link