Rock music is a broad genre, and Italian band Nothing For Breakfast are happy to absorb it in its many forms, not being troubled by snobbery or aiming to be ruthlessly cutting edge. A glance at their influences will give you a handy overview of some of the forms that can be found on this debut release, written, recorded and produced by the four old school friends that make up the band. There are big-hitting classics like The Beatles, trendier, more alternative types such as The Strokes and Blur, right through to the commercial indie of The Kooks and The Wombats. As such, this will be a set of songs that will have a broad appeal, but will perhaps alienate a few people at times.
There's nothing particularly revolutionary about any of these songs, but each is well made and well produced. The indie-rock of 'Stranger' gets things off to a good start with a breezy buzz of guitars and slightly toned-down vocals; it's almost The Strokes tidied up a bit. In fact, that band's guitars and lazy drawl can be found elsewhere, perhaps most notably on 'Yes It's OK' which is another highlight. 'Drunk Shoes' brings in a little funk and it's nice to see Nothing For Breakfast playing about with their sound a bit more, recalling Talking Heads on occasion. If you are of the more alt-rock persuasion, then the more earnest delivery of 'Pretty Girl', with its Kooks covering Kings Of Leon chorus, might not be to your taste, although it's perfectly fine. Pop fans will have no worries about 'Mrs Queen' but it does see the band opting for a more commercial sound that could perhaps be described as garage-lite. Once again though, it's a decent track.
The main point of contention for indie fans will be 'Caught Her Tonight' which should probably be appearing on some US teen TV show, although they do it well enough. Almost in total contrast, a cover of Nirvana's 'Drain You' is included as a bonus, yet, much like the approach taken on the rest of 'Nothing IIII Breakfast', it's like Nirvana given a good shower, being made to brush their hair, and dressed in some nice new clothes without any holes. These guys have made a nice enough album here and have the ability to write some good tunes, but it would be nice to see them letting go of their pop leanings and turning into alternative stars like those they probably look up to the most.
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