An album that I have not been able to get out of my head (or my player) lately has been the new Maccabees album, "Given To The Wild." With its fast paced, intricate songs the album sounds like one hour long composition instead of 13 individual songs, but don't let that keep you from believing in the creativeness of the album. Each song has the same theme, but they do not all sound the same. With beautiful slow beginnings, each song builds into a hard rock bridge that make the listener want to pull out their air guitar.
Probably the best example of this is in the song "Child." The song moves instantly from its predecessor "Given To The Wild," the intro to the album. The next song on the album, "Feel To Follow" begins with Orlando Weeks tenor moving up and down over a thin drum line. When the bass finally comes in it's a deep strong sound that fills the space underneath him, moving the song forward into an explosion of guitar. "Ayla," the fourth song on the album, comes in with a piano line that will knock your socks off. It's probably my favorite song on the album, starting out strong and ending so abruptly you have to kind of sit back in awe for a second. It would be amazing to hear live! "Pelican" is probably the single off the album, if you could give it a single. It's fast and catchy and actually in a major key unlike most of the album. This is definitely a cd that you have to listen to as a whole, however.
While it sounds nothing like their first album "Colour It In," it didn't fail to disappoint me or fans of that album. Bands evolve just like people do, and the trick is to do it tastefully and artistically. Even though they changed their sound, The Maccabees possibly just got better. Their sound is defintely more mature than that of the British pop crooning of songs like "First Love" and "Toothpaste Kisses." They are older and more dynamic as band. "Given To The Wild" takes you on a journey, as Weeks sings in "Forever I've Known," "forever I've known nothing stays forever." The Maccabees have come into themselves and I can't stop listening.
Songs to watch out for:
Child
Feel To Follow
Ayla
Forever I've Known
Pelican
Grew Up At Midnight
Want to check out their first album "Colour It In"?
All In Your Rows
Tissue Shoulders
First Love
Toothpaste Kisses
This is the music video for Ayla! Gotta love guys on bikes...
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