Indie rock by the British darlings, for fans of The Strokes, The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand. Their darkest material to date: the whole album has a feeling of dread woven into it. There’s a lot of experimentation with reverb, both in vocals and guitar, and the music is not as fast-paced as their past efforts. My favorites are 4, 2 & 8, but 4 has an FCC, as does 9.
1. Mid-tempo. Arpeggiated chords and syncopated drumbeat. Picks up at the end.
*2. Up-tempo. Fun interaction between guitars with scattered beats and really cool wind sounds in the background. Very ominous.
3. Up-tempo. One of the darkest songs: heavy bass, loud drumming, echoes.
4. FCC: “fuck” Starts slow, w/acoustic guitar, alternating with fast paced phrases. Sounds like slipping in and out of a dream world. Really good!
5. Mid-tempo. Uneven beat w/echoes & handclaps. Syncopated bridge, airy vocals.
6. Starts slow and then builds. Surge of energy at end, then falters to a stop.
7. Mid-tempo. Sad, desperate song. Begins w/acoustic guitar and other instruments lay in. Sleepy and distorted guitar solo.
*8. Mid-tempo. Distorted guitar @ beginning…so cool! Rhythm swells to be cut short, with ominous chorus vocals. Amazing drumming! Fades out.
9. FCC “dickheads”, “fucking”. Up-tempo. Sounds slightly like punk.
10. Down tempo. Bells. Marching band drums @ end. Bleak guitar solo.