Athlete : Beyond the Neighborhood

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/athletebeyondtheneighb.jpg" alt=" " />U.K. chart-toppers Athlete go indie-rock on their latest, <i>Beyond the Neighborhood</i>, and do it well. ...
8.0 Astralwerks
2007 

 U.K. chart-toppers Athlete go indie-rock on their latest, Beyond the Neighborhood, and do it well. After hitting #1 back home in Great Britain with their 2005 sophomore release, Tourist, but frustrated to some degree with the amount of radio airplay their singles were getting – or rather weren’t – the south London four-piece retired to record their latest on their lonesome, in their own studio (also adding tour guitarist Johnny Pilcher on most tracks).  The result is way less ‘smooth-groovin’ than Tourist or 2001’s Vehicles & Animals, dropping the orchestral strings for alt-guitars.  It’s also way better.

“In Between 2 States” sets the tone for the record, a slow indie-trance piece that works perfectly as the album’s instrumental opener.  Beyond then wows the listener with the one-two punch of its current singles, “Hurricane” and “Tokyo”.  “Hurricane” delivers an amazing, expansive, indie-rock uplift, while the strong bass and keyboard beats of “Tokyo” are laid beneath a growing, low-key, cry.  Soon-to-be-next single “The Outsiders” plays it in an even lower key, slow and cool; the number is both interesting as a change on the record, and all on its own.

In general, Beyond is actually weakest whenever Athlete attempt to repeat the smooth grooves of their earlier work.  Quiet pieces like “It’s Not Your Fault”, “Flying Over Bus Stops”, and “This Is What I Sound Like” are all solid, but none truly spectacular.  Other inventive top tracks include the epic emotional resonance, with catchy refrain, of “Second Hand Stores”, and the wistful, country-time “Best Not To Think About It”, which grows on you in the course of itself.

The reaction from fans of Athlete’s prior work has been mixed, but they all seem to want the band to return to their earlier styles.  That might keep their notoriety on Blighty, but their journey into indie-rock is a far more interesting and compelling thing to hear on either side of the pond.  And here’s hoping there’s more to come…

Categories
Album Reviews
  • Anonymous
    at
  • No Comment

    Leave a Reply

    Album of the Week