Sunday, August 2, 2009

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers


The second album in as many years from Kendal, England's Wild Beasts is an excellent piece of indie rock/pop. At the forefront is vocalist Hayden Thorpe whose ridiculous vocal range and falsetto are impossible to ignore ("All the King's Men" best displays his talent). But it helps that he is backed by a very talented group. The songs found on Two Dancers are each ultra-rhythmic while still retaining a dream-pop kind of feel (thanks in part to Thorpe's vocals and impressive harmony arrangements). Elsewhere, the Wild Beasts draw on other influences to add to the album; post-punk's shredding, angular guitars drive "When I'm Sleepy" as well as "This Is Our Lot" and the self-titled track is very methodic in its structure as instruments are added and taken away to give it a great atmospheric feel (the track is easily a standout among the album's ten excellent offerings). The best part about this album is that although it touches on a number of various "mood music" genres (ie., dream pop, 80s vocal pop), the rhythm of the album gives it a more universal-listening feel beyond a Sunday morning or reading the day's news. And the result is another tremendous album from an extremely promising young band with a very bright future.

4.4/5.0

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