Album review

Wild Beasts

Two Dancers

added: 6 Aug 2009 // release date: 3 Aug 2009 // label: Domino
reviewer: Owen Gillham

Let’s assume music is simply the outcome of some mathematical equation and musicians are substitutes for numbers in that equation: what do you think you’d get if you multiplied Montserrat Caballé with The Human League? Yep, you’d get Wild Beasts. Seriously if you start by imagining absurdity and work down from there, you pretty much have the sum of it. Two Dancers is pretty simple to describe: Moments of brilliance bubble amidst some seriously messed up cobblers.

The moments of truly cohesive brilliance are all too infrequent though – the title track (parts one and two) are frustratingly marvellous - bleak, ambient, edgy, like Bowie in the ‘80s when he was at his very best. The music too is well conceived and, in places at least, consumes you in its dark, haunted peculiarity, but in truth the overall impact of what could have been a striking album (in a good way) is railroaded by bizarrely and consistently employed falsetto vocals and some avoidably clumsy rhyming couplets (who would chose to rhyme “brutes” with “in cahoots”?)

So, all in all, it’s a strange one. A record I want to like, but just can’t - a little too grotesque to be an immediate hit, but maybe it’s a grower.

> For more Music-News album reviews click here

Comments

Be the first to comment on this review:

Add your comment

Name

Town & country

Comment

We welcome your opinions. This is a public forum. Libellous and abusive comments are not allowed. Please read our House Rules.

I agree to the House Rules

Enter the number in the image below in the box