2014 RETROSPECTIVE - DAY 11

WILD BEASTS - PRESENT TENSE

Today's post must begin with a disclaimer; when I comes to Wild Beasts I find it damn near impossible to be impartial. I was so enamoured with Present Tense when it was released in Febraury that I wrote a love letter to it. For all our sakes I won't reproduce it here, but it goes to show the extremity of my affection; if I were pushed to pick an 'album of the year', it would be this one here. Having said that, I find myself somewhat reticent about waxing lyrical here, afraid of tarnishing your view of Present Tense, dear reader, with my muddy footprints.

I can speak about the facts; I could talk about how Present Tense was the band's first UK top ten record, how off the back of it they've played to 5000 people at Brixton Academy, and many more people in support of Arcade Fire and The National. When it comes to how utterly stunning the record is, however, and the ineffable grace with which it has aged as I have listened to and lived with it throughout the year, it is here where words begin to fail me (which is quite inconvenient considering words are my trade). In the end I must defer my words to others; as Jane Austen's Mr Knightley once said, "I cannot make speeches ... If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more". 

THE YEAR SO FAR ...

We are hardly two months into 2014 and yet there is already an abundance of new music to be devoured; here is my pick of the year's new releases.

 East India Youth - Total Strife Forever

William Doyle's debut solo effort contains an impressive palette of sounds; it is an ambitious record that almost demands to be heard. 

Check out: 'Heaven, How Long', 'Hinterland'

James Vincent McMorrow - Post Tropical

From the first strains of 'Cavalier' it is clear that Post Tropical is an album that whispers rather than shouts. If you take the time to listen close, you will surely be rewarded.

Check out: 'Cavalier', 'Outside Digging'

Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow

An album borne of travel, with home at its heart. The quartet know a good hook when they hear one, and So Long... is full of them.

Check out: 'Home By Now', 'Feel'

Arthur Beatrice - Working Out

A strong debut album underpinned by intriguing vocal contrasts and a sophisicated sound that usually takes several records to cultivate. 

Check out: 'Midland', 'Carter'

Wild Beasts - Present Tense

Building upon Smother's flirtations with electronica, this record weaves synth upon synth and vocal upon vocal in and out of your ears until you inevitably become entwined with it. 

Check out: 'Daughters', 'Palace' 

NEW MUSIC: WILD BEASTS - WANDERLUST

In a whirlwind 24 hours, Wild Beasts have unveiled a new album, single and a smattering of tour dates around the world. 'Wanderlust' is the lead single and first track on 4th LP Present Tense, and it denotes yet another shift in the Wild Beasts sound. The sonic DNA is at its essence the same; Hayden Thorpe's idiosyncratic vocals stretch out into the lower end of his register while Tom Fleming's soar in the background, and the relentless rhythm section is a comforting ever-present. There is, however, as in the Beasts' whole back catalogue, a sense of the Darwinian to be found in 'Wanderlust'; guitars are shed like a skin in favour of powerful, cutting synths that build to a crescendo as Thorpe warns "Don't confuse me with someone who gives a fuck". Present Tense is, as the band put it, an album about "headspace and consciousness"; 'Wanderlust' is the triumphant cry of one who has mastery of these concepts. These thematic concerns bring to mind a little snippet of Shakespeare:

                "O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and
                count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that
                I have bad dreams."
                                                                              Hamlet II.II.265-7

It remains to be seen whether bad dreams will appear on Present Tense alongside the infinite space of 'Wanderlust'. 

Preorder Present Tense and check out the new tour dates here

ALBUM: SKY LARKIN - MOTTO

"Keep it newsworthy" Sky Larkin's Katie Harkin urges us; a poignant message in the information-saturated 21st century, but it remains baffling how Sky Larkin themselves have not attracted such widespread attentions. 'Motto' is the band's third record after the solid debut 'The Golden Spike' and the sparkling 'Kaleide', and while the last few years have seen Harkin lending her talents to the Wild Beasts' live set up as well as some line-up changes, the molten core of the Sky Larkin world is unchanged. 

More than anything else, 'Motto' is an album of imperatives. From the lyrical content ("Keep it newsworthy", "Breathe it in, carve it out") to the relentless ever-present guitars, the record asks the listener to listen, to engage, to do. What is more, however much 'Motto' may ask of you it repays in buckets of heart and charm; the importance of this mutual relationship is keenly felt. Tracks like 'Italics' entice you in initially with killer hooks and in return you get the pleasure of listening to a band who have achieved a harmonious equilibrium; every instrument and voice shines without ever stepping on their neighbours' toes. This album in particular stands out in the Sky Larkin discography because it is, at times, more human and pained than what has come before. While 'Loom' and 'Treasury' collide wistful guitars with odes to loss, 'Overgrown' and album closer 'Que Linda (Wake To Applause)' are the most downbeat tracks on 'Motto', arguably even more poignant than Harkin's earlier pleas on 'Newsworthy'.  

There's only so many times you can knock on a door until you must surely be heard. Sky Larkin have been knocking for a while now, and the irresistible quality of 'Motto' will, hopefully, cause many to open the door, usher the band inside and offer them a cup of Yorkshire Tea. It's all they deserve, after all. 

9/10

Sky Larkin

NEW MUSIC: JESSIE WARE - NIGHT LIGHT (WILD BEASTS REMIX)

Night Light- Wild Beasts Remix

OK so this remix has actually been kicking about for about a week now, but I've spent that time listening to it non-stop and purring because of how good it is, and when you hear it you will see why. Wild Beasts are fast becoming the Midas of the remix world; whether it be tackling a Lady Gaga track or paying homage to acts like Jessie Ware, everything they touch shines gold. 

LIVE - WILD BEASTS @ THE HAUNT, 14/07/12

Having been unable to make it to Latitude festival, my Bastille Day was spent travelling to Brighton to see Wild Beasts play a warm-up show at The Haunt in preparation for their headline slot the next day. I had no idea what the venue would be like - Google Maps didn’t even want to show me where it was – but when I did eventually find it I was thoroughly impressed. Despite the slightly awkward seating area, the space was intimate without being claustrophobic, and my first thought upon entering was HOLY COW THERES NO BARRIER WE CAN GO STAND RIGHT. IN. FRONT. OF. THE. STAGE.

I had just about become accustomed to this fact when Luke Sital-Singh shuffled on stage, bringing with him a soothing selection of semi-acoustic ditties driven by a strong vocal, arguably his best weapon. He was also armed with a sense of humour (recalling how a reviewer thought one of his songs was about having sex with a whale) and good looks (acknowledged by Tom Fleming later on) and I hope that he gets the attention that his music deserves. Incidentally, if you visit his website you can get a free download of ‘Fail For You’ and who can say no to a great free song?

It was soon time for the first strains of Smother’s ‘Burning’ to radiate through the room, a perfect teaser for the crowd and an indicator of where Wild Beasts are at right now: sparse, electronic, yet tugging at the heartstrings more than ever. The band arrived and launched straight into ‘Lion’s Share’, promoted from its usual position of encore-opener. The bass frequencies pulsated like a second heartbeat, and this façade was kept up by the thudding drums of Chris Talbot, joined by Sky Larkin’s Katie Harkin, now a long-time companion to the Wild Beasts live set-up. Their first album Limbo, Panto has largely been left behind now but despite this, fan favourite ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ does not feel out of place at all, providing a light interlude between ‘Albatross’ and ‘Fun Powder Plot’.

Via the emotionally charged ‘Loop the Loop’ and the yearning ‘This Is Our Lot’, the main set was concluded with ‘Reach A Bit Further’, a particularly satisfying marriage of Hayden Thorpe’s scintillating falsetto and Tom Fleming’s grittier tones communicating pleas rewarded with promises. In the break between the main set and the encore a Wild Beasts chant filled the air which was extremely well-received. “I’ve never heard a Wild Beasts chant before,” Hayden cheerfully acknowledged, before adding “Needless to say, I fucking loved it.” Even a microphone malfunction during Hooting and Howling couldn’t ruin the buoyant mood and by the time End Come Too Soon rolled around, we were not yet reconciled to our inevitable fate. It really is a stunning closer, both on Smother and live; out of nowhere and virtually from scratch the band build to a devastating crescendo capped off by the echoes of Thorpe’s mournful cries. Apart from a scattering of festivals, Wild Beasts are taking it easy at the moment and will soon start thinking about LP number 4. On the evidence of this show, we have much to look forward to.

Luke Sital-Singh

Wild Beasts

The Haunt