Original full review here.
Yes, I know a lot of people will disagree, but this is exactly the type of music I love - absolutely HUGE electronic pop rock songs. They may not stray from a tried and tested formula or their set sound, but the eleven tracks on offer on this album are just stunning.
Opening track Say You Don't Want It is definitely the most surprising thing I've heard from a band this year. The band's last album, Started A Fire, was enjoyable but felt very incomplete, almost as though they'd just given up on it halfway through (although I only thought that after I heard this one). Then they come back with a song with an absolutely huge production courtesy of White Lies (my #2 in 2009) and Courteeners producer (my #4 this year) Ed Buller.
But despite that, Say You Don't Want It is nowhere near the best song. The two tracks that follow it, Bring Me Back Down and Forget My Name, are the most catchy, memorable pieces of electronic rock I've ever heard, along with Anything and Nothing Left, which turn up later in the album. The only one that took a bit of time to get used to was Can't Stop Now, which is now right up there with my favourites.
As I noted in my introduction to this list, 2010 hasn't been a great year as music I like is concerned. Comparing this with 2009's list, I would have only put it fourth or fifth. But let me take nothing away from it; it is still an incredible album, a massive improvement on the first (which I loved, but it's now living in the shadow of this one) and fully deserves the 10/10 I gave it.
SCORE
Previous albums: Started A Fire (9/10)
P.S. Merry Christmas!!! See you in 2011 for more music madness...
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