Artist: Athlete
Title: Black Swan
Label: Fiction Records
Genre: Rock
Bitrate: 170kbit av.
Time: 01:06:15
Size: 87.33 mb
Rip Date: 2009-08-26
Str Date: 2009-08-24
DISC 1:
01. Superhuman Touch 3:58
02. The Getaway 4:32
03. Black Swan Song 4:50
04. Don't Hold Your Breath 4:34
05. Love Come Rescue 2:53
06. Light The Way 5:27
07. The Unknown 4:44
08. The Awkward Goodbye 3:59
09. Magical Mistakes 4:43
10. Rubik's Cube 4:33
DISC 2:
01. Lucky As Hell 0:45
02. Animation 3:13
03. Wild Wolves 3:02
04. Sky Diver 3:39
05. Ordinary Angel 3:48
06. Black Swan Song (Acoustic) 4:55
07. Needle On A Record 2:40
Release Notes:
Two years after Beyond the Neighbourhood, Deptford quartet Athlete
return with some more emotion-laden, life-affirming, FM-friendly
stadium rock. This time round it's far less low-key than its
predecessor, and far more likely to appeal to their most avid fans. If
one word were to sum up the sound, it's 'huge'.
While nobody's going to hand Athlete an award for innovation, their
potent mixture of chiming, echo-driven guitars, rumbling bass and
orchestral synth-assisted grandeur is nothing if not bracing. There's
nothing as heartbreakingly affecting as Wires here, said song from
2005Æs Tourist album evidence enough that Joel Pott's voice suits
quieter moments rather than the more grandiose material now on offer.
It's on the closing ace-up-the-sleeve Rubik's Cube, and the acoustic
swing of Love Come Rescue, that he convinces the listener. However,
when the sound grows large û as on opening single Superhuman Touch û
the focus that lyrically sensitive material such as this requires is
lost.
Tom Rothrock's production skills replace the band's own efforts on
Beyond..., and along with their move to the Fiction label this is
obviously a ploy to break past the invisible barrier that's so far
impeded them joining the really big league. It's interesting to note
that Rothrock's CV, featuring as it does James Blunt's last album, also
includes Elbow, a band that few seem unwilling to put in the same
league of uplifting stuff. But what really marks a difference between,
say, the Bury bandÆs One Day Like This and AthleteÆs rather lovely
Black Swan Song? The divisions seem meaningless.
It would be crass to bang on about how, well... Coldplay-like Athlete
are. Perhaps the trouble is that no-one's actually come up with a genre
name for this kind of music. It oozes with emotion, with earnestness
and with an uncanny knack for the grand, empty gesture. On one level
it's soundtrack music, designed by committee for accompanying the
significant 'moment' on some TV series. On the other it's a spark of
hope in a world that sneers at such a contemptible lack of cynicism.
The choice, dear reader, is yours.
It's far from even vaguely original, but it's undeniably successful.
Now, what do we call it?
--
Sorry we're a bit late with this one, we had a heavy weekend ;) These
guys were incredible at V, this album is also incredible. Deluxe
edition with a bonus cd of some nice extra songs. Comes with a nice
poster too, buy it! Enjoy :)
sire@hush.ai