Anne WidjajaVerdict: Primary Colours - The Horrors.
May 17th 2009 06:57
Firstly, may I point out the complete irony of the band's album title. Let me demonstrate. Note The Horrors below.
Whilst there certainly is a major lack of colour going on in the band's look, their second album title 'Primary Colours' intentionally marks a huge departure from their violent garage punk sound in debut 'Strange House'. Now, it's important to understand how far these lads have come in order to fully appreciate their second album. So here lies a bit of background reading. Their first album is practically a 12 track theatrical soundtrack to an arthouse horror movie. The screaming lines of 'Jack the Ripper' against a roaring guitar and the jumpy organ melody in 'Horror Theme' would set the scene perfectly for a dimly lit slaughter house movie in which the victims die obscure deaths, that make no sense because of poor film making by pretentious boobs, NOT because they're concepts that require a higher plane of understanding in order to "get it". Anyway, reeling back from that rant segway (Sofia Coppola s u x) the new Horrors album is cohesive not scant, melodic not frighteningly chaotic and develops a vast, open fields-esque soundscape that might actually get your jig going - and not in an awkward gangly limb goth dance way.
The album opens with track 'Mirror's Image' which begins with a climax built up by a strange belowing echo layered with strings (!) Strings Punk = awesomely wow. A steady tapping beat builds up to a sprawling mash of intergalactic sounds and a catchy keyboard riff. Followed by a killer base line, ripping guitars and lead singer Faris Rotter's signature rough vocals this track certainly makes you search the album cover just to check it really is The Horrors. The opening track sets the scene for more climactic build ups and a similar strain of an eclectic mix of sounds introduced in 'Mirror's Image' throughout the entire album. The strings even make an appearance again on 'I Only Think of You'. The most interesting tracks on the album are where Faris abandons his usual screeching yell for actual singing. With a melody! What will these crazy kids think of next. His deep vocals come shining through in 'Who Can Say' and 'Scarlet Fields', giving the band an older more mature sound, removing themselves from their image as the borderline gimicky goth rockers they were on the debut album.
Primary Colours is reminiscent of the spirit of the LSD 'journey' inspired psychadelic 60s rock n roll. But, the band are far from being inside the proverbial rock n roll square, experimenting with clashing sounds of bellowing, whirring keyboard tones meshed with conventional rock n roll drum beats and guitar riffs. This album expresses a progressive new sound for The Horrors, as they shy away from the bashing thrashing drums heavy, guitar heavy, vocal heavy sound they began with. This album proves you don't have to be loud and brash to be dark. 'Primary Colours' is most appropriately the most upbeat song, which I would even classify as pop -gasp-, interestingly followed straight after by the conventionally classic guitar rock (psychadelic guitar solo riff and all), angry, slurring rock vocals track, 'I can't control myself'. Album closer 'A sea within a sea' features an airy vocal against a quick paced up beat melody, and some random interludes of random keyboard spazz riffs. It certainly gives the band quite some mystery and challenges the arty goth punk rock genre they placed themselves in (or rather created) with the first album.
sunshine, lollipops...Lead Singer Faris in the album booklet.
Last Words: So Primary Colours is what happens when vampires go into the sun- yes the image of the band all clad in black on 'Strange House' really convinced me that they were vampires. I'm completely serious. They are.- . They don't burn- LIES!, they experience joy and make wonderful experimental pop rock punk music.
The album opens with track 'Mirror's Image' which begins with a climax built up by a strange belowing echo layered with strings (!) Strings Punk = awesomely wow. A steady tapping beat builds up to a sprawling mash of intergalactic sounds and a catchy keyboard riff. Followed by a killer base line, ripping guitars and lead singer Faris Rotter's signature rough vocals this track certainly makes you search the album cover just to check it really is The Horrors. The opening track sets the scene for more climactic build ups and a similar strain of an eclectic mix of sounds introduced in 'Mirror's Image' throughout the entire album. The strings even make an appearance again on 'I Only Think of You'. The most interesting tracks on the album are where Faris abandons his usual screeching yell for actual singing. With a melody! What will these crazy kids think of next. His deep vocals come shining through in 'Who Can Say' and 'Scarlet Fields', giving the band an older more mature sound, removing themselves from their image as the borderline gimicky goth rockers they were on the debut album.
Primary Colours is reminiscent of the spirit of the LSD 'journey' inspired psychadelic 60s rock n roll. But, the band are far from being inside the proverbial rock n roll square, experimenting with clashing sounds of bellowing, whirring keyboard tones meshed with conventional rock n roll drum beats and guitar riffs. This album expresses a progressive new sound for The Horrors, as they shy away from the bashing thrashing drums heavy, guitar heavy, vocal heavy sound they began with. This album proves you don't have to be loud and brash to be dark. 'Primary Colours' is most appropriately the most upbeat song, which I would even classify as pop -gasp-, interestingly followed straight after by the conventionally classic guitar rock (psychadelic guitar solo riff and all), angry, slurring rock vocals track, 'I can't control myself'. Album closer 'A sea within a sea' features an airy vocal against a quick paced up beat melody, and some random interludes of random keyboard spazz riffs. It certainly gives the band quite some mystery and challenges the arty goth punk rock genre they placed themselves in (or rather created) with the first album.
sunshine, lollipops...Lead Singer Faris in the album booklet.
Last Words: So Primary Colours is what happens when vampires go into the sun- yes the image of the band all clad in black on 'Strange House' really convinced me that they were vampires. I'm completely serious. They are.- . They don't burn- LIES!, they experience joy and make wonderful experimental pop rock punk music.
| 80 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
