ORSON - Bright Idea Review

Given that Orson's singer, Jason Pebworth, used to be in the US production of "Phantom Of The Opera" and that he professes to both a love of Black Sabbath and show tunes, it's hardly surprising that the barrelling rock of the Hollywood funsters' debut is both ridiculously catchy, and hideously uncool....full text Like their compatriots the Scissor Sisters and We Are Scientists, Orson owe their career to the British record buyer. Without UK intervention in the form of a gig at the 2005 In the City festival in Manchester, which spawned label interest and, eventually, the No 1 single No Tomorrow, they would still be in Los Angeles, deemed too old for a record deal. Instead, here they are, capitalising on the guilty-pleasures vogue for soft rock, a genre that demands the quality they have in spades: a superior grasp of melody that distinguishes nearly every song....full text Like the Scissor Sisters, Orson are an American band that required the recognition of a British audience to succeed. With its catchy hook and self-deprecating invitation to "look at me, silly me", their "No Tomorrow" was one of the more appealing recent chart-toppers, and this self-financed debut offers a frothy, energetic confirmation of that promise....full text