Athlete

UK pop outfit Athlete has said that they followed such musical guides as the Flaming Lips, Massive Attack and Beck during the making of Tourist, the follow-up to their well-received debut, Vehicles and Animals. Bits of those influences can be found on Tourist, but really, it would be difficult to pick Athlete’s sound out of a lineup of other British acts such as Elbow, Snow Patrol, Doves and Coldplay. But if you’re going to sound like a handful of other bands, that’s not a bad bunch to emulate.

However, there are a few tracks that help to distinguish Athlete from their compatriots. The first song that really grabs your attention on this album is the second track, “Half Light.” A more up-beat tune than what’s found on the majority of Tourist, it immediately kicks in with a crescendo of guitars and then midway through, treats you to a groovy little flute break-down before quickly building up again.

“If I Found Out” is a catchy head-bobber with a gospel-choir-fueled wind-up. Like the title track, this song’s foray into soul music stands out from the rest of Tourist, lending some nice diversity to a collection of songs that sort of melts down into one big lump of post-’90s brit-pop.

On “Yesterday Threw Everything at Me,” Athlete delivers a sometimes delicate, sometimes insistent melody and altogether plaintive lyrics that make it a strong candidate for a rousing sing-along. As with “Chances” and “Twenty Four Hours,” driving drums and piano channel the spirit of Coldplay on this track. Again, not a bad act to follow, but it’s distracting when you have to stop and ask yourself, “Where have I heard this before?” If you can get around that mental roadblock, this is perhaps the best number on Tourist.

But even without the temptation to compare Athlete to other bands, Tourist is one of those albums that’s good for a couple of go-rounds, but fails to really hold your attention. With the exception of a few points of interest, Tourist is just passing through.