CD, A Different Drum, 2006
www.clubintuition.com
With “Further”, their 2003 debut album, Intuition proved to be a talented and capable synthpop act, despite some comparisons with earlier work by Iris. With their second full-length album, “Overworked & Underplayed”, Garrett Miles and Ken Porter definitely prove their talent, skill and creativity, exceeding all expectations. “Overworked & Underplayed” is an album that can be considered a ‘coming of age’ for this duo, and which may well be one of the best synthpop releases of 2006.
Not only did it cause an extremely favourable impression on the first listen (helped no doubt by the introductory tracks “Stronger” and “Whole” which are extremely catchy), but its appeal grew with each successive listen. The song-writing in “Overworked & Underplayed” album is impeccable, without any filler material, making for a solid listening experience from beginning to end; Intuition are slightly reminiscent of Erasure at some points but they have a strong identity of their own. Every song in this album easily stands on its own, from the faster-paced pieces (“Beside You”) to songs like “I Scream” and ballads like “Heaven”, with lush compositions, memorable vocals and meaningful lyrics. In addition, the track placement works perfectly, the songs flow seamlessly and there is a good balance and progression between upbeat and calmer tracks.
With “Overworked & Underplayed”, Intuition succeeded in creating a synthpop album with real depth and meaning, which is a feat in itself. Their intelligent and often memorable lyrics deal masterfully with introspective themes and convey heart-felt emotion without being tacky, even if they are a bit too obvious on occasion. A couple of songs seem to deal with issues of faith (something rather tricky to tackle properly) but this is done with enough subtlety that it doesn’t come across as proselitizing. In addition to his song-writing skills, Garrett Miles’ vocal talent shines throughout this album as he is ultimately responsible for giving the ‘soul’ to the cocktail of melancholy and hope that is “Overworked & Underplayed”.
Hopefully, this album won’t be overlooked and underestimated, as it would be a serious injustice to what is one of the best synthpop releases of 2006, which is certain to find adepts even among a more ‘mainstream alternative’ public.
[9/10]
— Miguel de Sousa