James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
Musically, their falsetto-led, medieval sound is far removed from most popular music claiming to be 'alternative,’ let alone anything in the charts. They’ ve also bucked the trend with the supposedly difficult second album, as Two Dancers’ easily soared up the critics’ top album lists in 2009. Now with the release of their third album, Smother, there’ s no excuse for the Kendal quartet not to deliver.
Thankfully, album opener ‘Lion’ s Share’, is an absolute stunner. Hayden Thorpe’s eerie falsetto is soon joined by a delicate piano accompaniment and Tom Fleming’s husky tenor, creating a song that seems to belong more to musical theatre, or an opera, than to a pop album. The lyrics, 'It’ s a terrible scare / but that’ s why the dark is there / so you don’ t have to see what you can’ t bear,' suggest that the tone of this album is set to be more melancholy than the last. There’ s not so much of the youthful frivolity and mad shrieking of 'All the King’ s Men’, but instead a sadder feel, with songs like ‘ Invisible,’ which includes the lyrics, ‘All’ s going to fall / I say my goodbyes / to everyone I know.’ Don’ t expect this album to pick you up after a bad day.
Smother is also very stripped back instrumentally; every chord and every note seem thoroughly considered and carefully placed, without the album becoming sparsely textured. While many of the tracks feature unusual percussion choices and guitars that don’ t sound like guitars, most of the emphasis lies with the vocals. This is especially evident in tracks such as ‘Plaything’, a sinister song made all the more creepy by the warbling falsetto whispering, 'New squeeze / take off your chemise / and I’ ll do as I please.' Brr. ‘Bed of Nails’ manages to include a waspy synth line without sounding electronic or modern at all. Perhaps that’ s to do with the mentions of Ophelia, Shelley and Frankenstein – the band keeping their tradition of referencing classic literature in their music.
The first single from the album, ‘ Albatross,’ is a fair reflection of the whole album, in that pretty arrangements are coupled with vulnerable and lamenting melodies (there’ s definitely influences from Thom Yorke here). But it’ s not totally gloomy, as ‘Reach a Bit Further’, is more upbeat, with the familiar galloping drum rhythms, and final track ‘ End Come Too Soon’, has to be a joke at a slightly ridiculous 7:33 minutes long.
Smother is a definite grower and should appeal to newcomers who enjoyed the singles, whilst current fans of Wild Beasts won’ t be disappointed. It feels wrong to compress such a beautiful collection of songs into binary code and shove them onto compact disc; they’ re much better suited to being performed by a band of minstrels in a fifteenth century royal court, but as there’ s a distinct lack of those in these modern times, my mp3 player will have to do for now.
If you like this try Thom Yorke - The Eraser, Villagers - Becoming A Jackal, Everything Everything - Man Alive
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