Review Summary: Great songs, but done before.
It was my first week at University and instead of living on campus I decided to commute each day. As the drive is 40 minutes there and 40 minutes back it is an ideal time to listen to an album start to finish and I thought it would be an ideal time to listen through more albums properly and buy something new each week. I purchased this album on my first week as I had heard 'Rango' and several other of their tracks through the BBC and YouTube. Catfish and The Bottlemen had a fair bit of hype from friends and the industry alike, so I was curious about what a full length would offer. It has now almost been a year of having this album, so enough time has passed for it to be a reasonable review.
The album is broken into 11 songs; the first 5 songs, an acoustic track and then the second batch of 5. The first half contains the singles 'Homesick' 'Kathleen' and 'Cocoon' and I can't deny I think these really are great songs, and the first half is a lot more accessible on initial listens; especially the singles. I found myself just listening to the first half on repeat for quite a while and not moving past them because I enjoyed them so much. McCann's melodies are solid throughout and he really does achieve (in my opinion) the sing-a-long choruses that he was aiming for. The songs do build for the power and they do deliver, notably the singles 'Kathleen' and 'Cocoon' and album tracks 'Rango' and '26'.
What struck me about the album from the first few listens was the production style, how low I thought the vocals were in the mix and the guitars weren't separated enough to shine through. If I had to describe the production I'd call it dull, but it did grow on me after time and has it's own style, however, I am still of this opinion almost a year later. One of the main influences/comparisons to this band have been The Strokes, and I do not hear it; the main reason being is that the production does not let both guitars breathe properly and have enough space to separate them.
Before moving onto the second half of the album, there has to be the obligatory mention of the acoustic track. Of course this album has the cliche token acoustic song that shows off the band's softer side. 'Hourglass' satisfies this department and much like the rest of the album, lyrically focuses on relationships. I do enjoy it, but I think this is where I have issue with the record.
The second half is where I take pleasure from this record now, possibly because I haven't over listened it yet and I'm trying not to. The second half is where I feel the most interesting instrumental parts are laid down; specifically the album closer 'Tyrants' which in cliche album form has the extended 'progressive' ending that albums always do. It's a satisfying and different listen to the rest of the songs which average out at roughly 3 minutes and all rely on the chorus, which is probably why a lot of my friends dislike it as a track. As much as I like to say the second half has more interesting instrumental parts, I think it has to be said that the drumming on this album is fantastic throughout and at some points does carry the song e.g. The Chorus of Kathleen or Business.
After a year of listening to this album I have worn it out. It's packed with great songs, but something is missing for me that I just can't put my finger on. I can listen to every song, know all of the words and do thoroughly enjoy it; but I just can't call it a superb or classic record and its initial attraction to me is starting to wane. I suspect the reason being is that you know exactly what you're getting and it's bringing nothing new to the table. It has got the token acoustic track and a drawn out final track etc. Whatever my gripes with this record though, they are gaining strong crowds and a lot of popularity currently and its lasting power is obviously yet to be seen.
Song Picks:
Kathleen
Pacifier
Business
