Indie rockers Spark Of Life have claimed to sound 'like a heavier Coldplay or Killers' but this
is way off the mark.
New single Things Ain’t What They Seem's main riff is probably comparable to something like
Ocean Colour Scene’s Hundred Mile High City in its knack for sounding both familiar yet totally new.
The vocals are familiar sounding too – there’s even a bit of Rod Stewart in there. As a whole,
the song is a perfect example of riff-lead indie rock, the kind of which fans of The Who, The Jam,
Oasis and all in between will appreciate. The chorus is pure pop in its truest sense and with a
little alteration could be the lead melody of anyone in the business today such is its charm.
Despite the familiarity of its part and influences, Things Ain’t What They Seem comes together to
make something completely new, leaving the listener thinking 'why didn’t I think of that' – like
all good pop should.
B-side Like A Stone is more downbeat than the previous track but is just as well constructed and just
a suited to radio airplay. The Rod Stewart comparison for the vocal still stands but here there is
more than a hint of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. The big riffing is still a feature - like some of Green
Day’s more recent slower efforts.
Spark Of Life are certainly on track for big success if they can harness this knack for producing
timeless pop songs whilst maintaining their indie-rock ethos.