(single/ EMI RECORDS)
With a name like Atlas you�ve metaphorically got the world in your grasp, and this band - with their music - might just have it at their feet also, branching out as this 4-piece, Hackney-stapled band is.
Even if this single opens with the familiarly titled support of �Standing On Shoulders,� this is timeless, mid-paced indie-rock that�s female-fronted and emotively laced with vocals reminiscent of Suzanne Vega�s and Bodixa�s. The quality vocals aside, the lyrics aren�t half bad either with insightful musings revolving around �Turning all your money into reason� before realising �There�ll be nothing left if we don�t wake up� � but �Everything�s alright if we�re ok.� Or so Atlas say.
Indie-rock music rarely comes as clean-cut, refreshingly humble or modestly as passive as Atlas,� as they so want to turn back time during �Today� with its much funkier beat and bass swerves caked with something of a hip 80�s pop vibe and sweet folkie-pop leanings as the vox tend to Beth Orton�s trade-able benchmark stylings.
�Easydriving,� though, is the highlight � and yet the most lulling and subtle of all three tracks, this being a down-to-earth tale of two lovers leaving their boring lives of routine behind for statures new, lamenting �We�ll write postcards that we�ll never send.�
Introspective and technicolourfully reflective throughout, this pop is so lovingly crafted and chilled� open the Atlas, because I want to get in! 4/5 (STEVE RUDD)
Release date: 2nd September 2003
www.atlas-home.com www.radiaterecords.com