Today’s Pop Rescue is the 2003 debut album Sound Of The Underground by British Popstars: The Rivals finalists, Girls Aloud. Will this album Sound perfect, or does it belong Underground in landfill? Read on…

This 13 track album opens with lead single and titular track Sound Of The Underground. From the moment the jangly guitars and the pseudo-Beat Goes On feel starts the song, it is one hugely catchy pop song. The vocal and instrumental layers work a rich sound. The guitars in the chorus give it a perfect heavier weight too, helping to lift the girls’ vocals perfectly, and production house Xenomania are clearly functioning on full cylinders. The track rightly hit the #1 spot in the UK.

Fading in with growling guitars is next song No Good Advice. Here we get a nice simple catchy beat, in which the girls take it in turn to take the mic. The song builds nicely, once again letting the growling guitars take the chorus against a chorus of vocals. The track stood as the album’s second single, giving them a #2 hit.

Then it’s Some Kind Of Miracle, which takes a slightly slower pace, but a nice growly set of guitars set against some wafting lead and plodding bass. There’s some really nice vocal ranges on show here – from breathy to attitude-laden. It’s a really nice pop song, and reminds me a little of some of Ladytron’s more pop-ish songs.

All I Need (All I Don’t) is up next, starts with a wonderfully gurgling synth background riff, which reminds me a lot of Louise’s Beautiful Inside single, this is no bad thing though. This song allows the girls to show off some softer and sultry vocals and harmonies here, but the song lacks the energy of earlier songs, perhaps due to the lack of Xenomania’s influence.

After that, it’s this edition of the album’s third and final single Life Got Cold. We’re treated to some nice sounding Spanish-styled guitar, and a mellow, breathy, heartfelt mid-tempo song. Whilst this track does have the Xenomania hand behind it, and the vocals and guitars make a wonderful warm and rich companionship, the track just feels like an odd choice for a single. Despite this, the track hit #3 in the UK.

Next up is Mars Attacks, and this is quite a fun and quirky pop song, that has Betty Boo qualities to it, and unsurprisingly I then find later that she’s the lead songwriter and a producer (under her Alison Clarkson name). Over all, this feels a little bit like a companion song to Sound Of The Underground and a whole load of fun. It’s a great little song.

Stop is next, beginning with a nice guitar and bass that ushers in the vocals. A simple beat then drops in, and the track has a certain rock/punk vibe to it, almost with a Spice Girls vibe to it with the booming vocals (mostly from Nadine) and air of defiance. It is definitely a catchy little foot tapper.

Then it’s Girls Allowed, which almost feels like signature song given its title, and it is a wonderfully catchy pop song, with some great vocal harmonies in the chorus and bass synth. It’s a nice track but just lacks the energy for what reads like such an important song in the Girls Aloud brand.

That leads on to Forever And A Night, which opens with some acoustic guitar before dropping in a shuffling beat and bleeping synth wafting in as croaky heart-aching vocals start us off in the verse. This soon changes as a big wash of vocal harmonies deliver the chorus – perhaps a bit too much wall-of-sound meets generic girl group song.

Love/Hate is next and this has a wonderful up-beat tempo with a lovely garage beat, and racing vocals. The girls make light work of it though with their turns on the mic, and they’re surrounded by guitar and wafting synth pads and bleeps. It’s a nice galloping yet drifting song.

“We’ve got some dancin’ to do” says some bloke, and he’s right – it’s Boogie Down Love. This is a wonderful banging track. Again, it’s loaded with musical instruments and vocal effects, and some chime bars alongside roaring guitars. It’s really catchy, and again echoes Betty Boo (and once again has Alison as the lead writer and in production). This really should have made it as a single.

Don’t Want You Back follows this, and returns us to a heartfelt love song with a wave of guitars and vocal harmonies. It’s quite a nice catchy heavier song, but could easily be sung by any girl group.

The album closes with White Lies, which treats us to a nice little riff and simple beat. Whilst the vocals are delivered with seemingly great ease, the melody and lyrics feels quite clunky and slow to find the chorus, but once it does, the song seems to find its place and energy and becomes a roaring finalé to the album.

Verdict

Over all, this album is a wonderful example of slick 2000’s pop music acts and production teams.

As debut album’s go, it’s a damn shame that it didn’t get to #1 in the UK, but the tracks here are expertly written, produced, and sung. Girls Aloud work best in their harmonies and choruses here, where they boom strength and confidence, but there’s no stinker here whatsoever. Where the album does have some weaker moments, tend to be those that aren’t from the expertise of Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and others at the Xenomania production house, or from Betty Boo.

The highlights are certainly the titular Sound Of The Underground, No Good Advice, but also Boogie Down Love. Many parts of other songs really sound fantastic, but the weakest here is probably All I Need (All I Don’t) and Forever And A Night, which are a bit rent-a-girl-group-song.

Of course, the album would get a re-issue later, adding the single Jump (For My Love), a cover of the Pointer Sisters‘ hit, from the Love, Actually soundtrack, and thus catapult them further into success.

Thank you, Sarah Harding ♥️.

• POP RESCUE 2023 ALBUM RATING: 4 / 5
• 2003 UK ALBUM CHART PEAK: #2
• POP RESCUE COST: £2.00 from an AgeUK store.

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