Lotta hype surrounding Wild Beasts third LP "Smother". Does anyone have any thoughts of their own to share?
Personally I thought the album was terrific. I'm a big fan of "Two Dancers", and I found "Smother" to be a dynamic follow up. Shedding light on Dancers more stagnant and ethereal moments, carrying silence, and morphing into something oddly "Radiohead-esque". Mixing the best moments of the "Smiths" equally with that of late "Talking Heads", and Brotherhood era "New Order".
Smother might not have the legs to carry out a "Best Album of The Year" mission, but its likely the only real competition against PJ Harvey's already historic "Let England Shake" release, and Panda Bears' Tomboy.
"Two Dancers" was my second-favorite album of 2009, so I had high hopes for "Smother" and it certainly does not disappoint. I'm not sure which album is better, but it's damn close. And, to quote BBC: "Lion’s Share is gorgeous, no question about it."
Right now it's a contender for my #1 of the year, one of three albums from 2011 which I rate an 8.5/10; "Last of the Country Gentlemen" and "Burst Apart" are the other two.
Guess I'll be the voice of dissent. The singer sounds like he has a Bryan Ferry fixation (not necessarily a bad thing), the music sounds like ... wait, what's it sound like? I don't know because I forget it the moment I stop listening (not a good thing).
For me, it's the kind of music that's pleasant enough when it's on, but I'm not going to remember it or go back to it later.
This actually gives me an idea for a new forum feature. It could be called soundbites, or something like that, where one or two new albums a week are the topic of a thread and everyone who's listened to the album(s) chimes in with a sentence or two on their first impressions.
