Band of the Eye - Contagious Ignorance

Reviewed by Chris Render

In the simplest and briefest of terms, Contagious Ignorance, the debut album from Bristol alt-rockers Band of the Eye, isn’t bad. Hardly a contender for my album of the year, or even of the week, but it can’t be denied that tracks like Why Are You So Awful and Wasting are quite enjoyable. And “quite enjoyable” basically sums up Contagious Ignorance in its entirety. There are no particularly bad tracks on the album, and some highlights, like Dress-Down Day or the somewhat REM reminiscent Bye, are particularly good. It is difficult to know what to say about Band of the Eye: as musicians they are more than competent, as an album Contagious Ignorance is more than satisfactory. However, they don’t really manage to stand out. The only remarkable thing about the album is the welcome but somewhat quaint declaration that This Skin I’m In is unsuitable for airplay due to the use of profanity. Though I hope to hear more from the band, it would be less than surprising if they were to fade into obscurity, which would be a shame, because although not particularly unique, Band of the Eye are a group of fine musicians. I’d recommend having a listen, but don’t expect to be too astonished by what you hear.

3/5