Review Summary: A band in desperate need of an anchor.
Birds of Tokyo are a pop band now. It’s the harsh reality for a lot of fans who wish the band would go back to the days when catchy guitars engulfed their alternative rock sound. But history has shown us that bands can very well make the jump and embrace this new sound. Sometimes, as in
Coldplay’s case, it was just what the doctor ordered. But Birds of Tokyo’s path down this route has felt a little less natural. It seemed as though the more they veered in this direction, the less personality the music had. 2013’s
March Fires was a fine album overall, but the lack of variety among the tracks really caused it to suffer in terms of lasting value.
Their new EP
Anchor is the final nail in the coffin for the band’s old sound. It’s also an ominous sign of the band’s future, further confirmation that this is not a genre they can thrive in. For starters, Ian Kenny is in his mid-30s, a lot older now than when he first started his musical career. His voice has aged and doesn’t suit the energetic, youthful flair that they desire the songs to have. “Puzzles” stands out as an example of Kenny needing to try harder than ever to attain the high notes that he used to be able to sing in his sleep. “Touch the Screen” is another embarrassing attempt, yet
another song written to shed light on how impersonal our lives have become from excess exposure to technology. The chorus is oddly jarring, and Kenny sounds as though he is aiming for a Justin Timberlake impression and coming nowhere close. Meanwhile, “Weight of the World” is the song that all fans feared Birds of Tokyo would make one day. It’s basically an
Imagine Dragons song, but with even more scattered ideas meshed together by an incredibly off-putting synthetic beat introduced early on. It suggests a band trying too hard to sound different.
Really the only song that offers a hint of the right idea is the title track “Anchor”. While it still resembles the sound and feel of a conventional pop song, it is the only track here that Birds of Tokyo infused with at least a bit their natural personality. It will never be able to stand alongside their old hits, but on this EP it seems to be the one time things at least feel close to acceptable. It’s always admirable to see a band making the music that they want to make, not necessarily listening to their fans all the time; because, let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t know yet what we want. But a quick gander through Birds of Tokyo’s Facebook page reveals a surplus of fans that are simply fed up with this garbage. It seems that the time has come for the band to consider what they are becoming and whether a fan base still exists that is willing to listen to their safer, watered down approach to music. Because, what good is a newfound direction when nobody appreciates it?
