Wild Beasts - Smother

Thu 7th Jul, 2011 in Music Reviews

British indie rock group Wild Beasts, are a strange bunch. It is really quite hard to nail down what exactly their sound is, or influences are. But nevertheless, they do put out a great recording, and still somewhat unique. Smother is the third album release for Wild Beasts and is perhaps their most accessible yet. Despite comparisons very similar to fellow British groups Elbow and Editors, their vocalist makes their sound truly unique, with his obscure vocal style and really puts them in the “out-there” category at times.

This is epitomised within the opening track Lion’s Share, where a seemingly minimalist synthesiser bass line opens the track to a fairly cool atmosphere, until the lyrics are introduced, which sound almost a bit like theatre music in a higher register and in sometimes off-beat patterns. The music itself sounds like something that any other band could replicate and is really enjoyable.

A more enjoyable vocal style is heard on the tracks Deeper and Invisible, which are both heavily influenced by Elbow, both musically and vocally. The vocalist encapsulates the style of Guy Garvey very well and they create a sound that is much easier on the ears than the album’s opener. Invisible is very much a piano-based ballad, accompanied with warm brass sections and sweet, smooth harmonies all the way through. Reach A Bit Further, employs a slightly tribal percussion-based atmosphere and is perhaps their most dance worthy track with an upbeat and engaging sound.

It is hard to deliberate the difference between madness and genius, and despite the fact of a slightly peculiar vocal section at times, Smother has guided Wild Beasts into a musical direction that is far more engaging for audiences then all their previous work.