Milwaukee-based band Rose Of The West release their self-titled debut full-length album via Communicating Vessels. Sequestered in the desert of Western Australia, the vibrant, red flowers of Eucalyptus macrocarpa stand out against the harsh landscape. The rare tree, nicknamed “rose of the west,” manages to prevail over the severe climate, opening its beauty to those who seek it...

Rose of the West is an indie pop outfit that delivers songs that are somewhere between dream pop and soft rock. Their debut album contains 10 songs (37 min, 22 sec). It's a shame that most people in the UK will associate Rose West with the serial killer who, along with her husband, Fred West, were convicted, in 1995, of murdering 10 people.

Overall, it's not a bad album, and as debuts go it's pretty solid. It's just that there's nothing here that you haven't heard before. One track just melts into the next without any real identity. So much so, that after several weeks of playing this I'm still no closer to knowing it any better, nor can I pick out any tracks that are really memorable.

6

Nick Smithson