The Holidays supported them.
They were mostly their usual selves -
Lots of positive, feel-good energy; simplistic and unchallenging -
Which is a good thing.
Their new member, a percussionist, seemed a good addition to start with -
The bongos brought something, jam blocks are almost always nice.
He then played the same go-go bells rhythm in almost every song and became a gimmick.
It was as if they were trying to fit him in somewhere, didn't want him to stand there scratching his arm.
Also, the drummer's Philadelphia Grand Jury-esque "Hey!"s should be scrapped entirely. Revolting.
"Hi, we're Wild Beasts," said the lead singer ironically.
There is nothing wild or beastly about this four-piece from England.
If they were morphed into a single person, a tennis player,
They wouldn't threaten Swiss's perch at the top.
They never seem to explore more than one idea at a time
And all the members play around each song's central theme.
The vocalists don't impose themselves on the others,
The drummer is happy following the bass and guitar.
They're all always travelling on the same path,
As if their too scared to contradict one another,
Or drive them into a different direction.
This locks the music into patterns they never break out of.
They must enjoy themselves, though, as most songs stretch past the 4 minute mark.
Admittedly, it's okay when they're over-examining ideas which were good to start with,
(Stand-outs like "All The King's Men" and "We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues" sure have a nice flow to them),
But too many songs are built on weaker foundations that struggle to hold attention
As their lack of variations come to the fore.
At their best they're pretty nice but ultimately, they lack punch and unpredictability.
They'd be good for rally practise but they wouldn't stand up to the Fed forehand.
3 comments:
Are you writing a review or 6th form poetry? Wild Beasts are one of the best, most interesting guitar bands currently around. Wonderful out there pop music. You need to listen to their records a bit before talking nonsense.
Hey, you don't sound like Gareth, who are you? Thanks for the comment. I don't know what 6th form poetry is... are you trying to insult me?
I've listened to their record more since seeing them and find them much better on record than I found them live. Maybe it was the sound guy or maybe they just have a good producer but I just couldn't feel a connection with the band. They had no subtlety in variations, every 2nd verse sounded exactly the same as the 1st verse and often the chorus has the same beat because the vocals go on to copy the guitar or bass - only exploring one idea in any given song. Like I said, it works for the songs with good beats and riffs and melodies because it's enjoyable to soak them up for the full 4 and a half minutes. In their more abundant lesser songs, though, I just got bored. They never threatened to surprise or expand or even to develop and impress in subtlety. They just kept repeating the same simple motifs over and over, back and forth through verse and chorus and back again. Their slower songs are absolutely dreadful live.
lol no it's not me (i'm the real gareth [or am i?]) ehehehe you got insulted on the blogosphere.
also eeeeeeee my wrist i'm famous!
also adding you to my feedly
also i didn't know you didn't enjoy wild beasts :(
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