An album
I knew fairly well, although almost certainly not as well as i should given its
release in my final year at school. The issue was probably more with me
focusing on Pink Floyd, to the exclusion of everything else, rather than this
album lacking in quality or hype.
Hype was
something that followed the band since its inception in New York in 2000, with
their debut EP leading to a chase from major labels far and wide. With a deal
to Interscope eventually signed, the band spent a significant amount of time
getting their sound just right for the album, and it paid off, with rave
reviews and the album going Gold in both the UK and the US. It is still highly
regarded, appearing near the top of many best album of the 2000s lists.
Rich
kicks the album off with a piercing riff and coruscating guitar lines, that
match perfectly together with Karen O's disdainful vocal delivery. The chugging
chorus gives way to clarity in a captivating way, and the drumming holds the
piece together brilliantly. Date with the Night steps things up a notch with an
explosive runaway train of a song that seems to speed up with each verse,
without ever losing the semblance of control. Man maintains the intensity,
complete with a gothic sounding organ, although the song seems to lack the
underlying quality and variety of many others. Tick is a song I would love to
see delivered live as it allows Karen O to dominate, and really shows her
ability to fluctuate between absolute control and losing it. Black Tongue is a
song I often overlooked, which is testament to the quality of the album. There
is an onslaught of distorted guitar, with tight drumming underpinning the whole
thing, and Karen O's yelps over the top - what's not to like? Pin has, for me,
one of the best light-heavy guitar change-ups in the history of rock music. The
transition from verse to chorus is sublime, and the overall effect is immensely
listenable. Cold Light is a reasonable song, but lacks the jaw-dropping quality
on its guitar line of other songs on the album. No No No has a great chorus,
and a delicately crafted riff on the verse, but Maps blows this out the water,
with a chorus that should be a mandatory singalong at university indie club
nights. It may already be, I just haven't been to one in ten years. It is one
track where Karen O sounds anything like vulnerable, which makes it a real
counterpoint to the rest of the album. Y Control doesn't stray far from the
album's roots, unlike Modern Romance which is a less distorted, more reflective
song than any other track on the album.
This is a
ridiculously good album, especially if you like piercing guitar and captivating
frontwomen. They are a 21st century Blondie, with the song-writing and
technique to match their forerunners. The only thing that stopped it being an
utterly great album was the slight lack of variety, with most songs following
the light verse, heavy chorus approach. This is done exceptionally well, and so
it scarcely warrants criticism for it, but it does reduce the repeatability
somewhat. That having been said, I'm sure it is an album I will come back to
many times.
Chloe's
album rating: 8
Chloe's
favourite track: 9. Maps
Olly's
album rating: 8
Olly's
favourite track: 6. Pin
Next week
is 720. It's a Shame about Ray by the Lemonheads.
No comments:
Post a Comment