Tuesday, July 26th 2011

Reviews:  The Horrors

The Horrors Surpass The Hype And Step It Up With ‘Skying’

By Fernando Scoczynski Filho

When The Horrors released their sophomore effort Primary Colours a couple of years ago, it showed one of the most notable improvements of any artist we’ve seen in quite a while. While their debut Strange House failed to impress, Primary Colours was a surprisingly great record that garnered critical acclaim in the UK – as hyperbolic as it tends to come. Now, with their third studio release, Skying, comes the time to prove whether or not they can surpass the hype and deliver another set of solid music.

This time around, the band hasn’t changed nearly as much in between albums. Although their shift in direction on the second LP was so drastic that they simply gave up playing songs from their debut in concerts, it’s much more subtle here. The inspiration from The Smiths and Joy Division is still present, channeled through the vein of the shoegaze genre, but they’re far from sounding like rip-offs, bringing the new and old together in a convincing manner. The main difference on this LP lies in the way that the guitars aren’t so upfront in the mix, giving more space for the spot-on synth work by keyboardist Rhys Webb.

The album starts to kick into true gear with I Can See Through You, its quality is due in no small part to the use of My Bloody Valentine’s trademark “glide guitar” technique, which The Horrors have almost appropriated by now. However, it’s on Endless Blue that the first sign of brilliance shows: it begins with a very calm intro, devoid of guitars or vocals, made compelling by an unusual horn section; after one minute and forty seconds of escalating tension, a powerful riff blasts its way in, and the group launches itself into the heaviest song of the album. The tension keeps rising within the song, just as the main riff crashes down again and again, making for what is arguably one of the most memorable moments on the album.

Although the following track, Dive In, initially follows up the momentum well, its chorus is far too depressing and out of place in an otherwise good song. Still Life, on the other hand, is another impressive moment, a finely crafted pop tune. Its initial use of an excessively retro keyboard is later forgiven by an extended outro featuring a great, uplifting horn section. Wild Eyed, which comes next, is also helped by a horn section during its last minute, which certainly adds variety and richness to the overall sound of the record, but doesn’t do enough to save the tune itself.

The synthesizers are responsible for setting most of the tone and the soundscapes on Skying. They retain the sort of dreamy quality that permeated Primary Colours, but where that album sounded like it was trapped in someone’s feverish hallucinations, this one sets the music out in the open, roaming freely. The title and cover allude to this stylistic choice, and the track Moving Further Away couldn’t be better an example of it. Over 8 minutes long, it progresses effortlessly from a verse/chorus/verse structure to a basic guitar interlude, then onto a long synth segment, accompanied by sound effects of birds. The rhythm section and guitar eventually find their way back in, settling into the groove heavier than before, only to abruptly come to an end without overstaying its welcome for one moment.

That track, as well as closer Oceans Burning, are fine examples of how The Horrors sound much more comfortable to stretch their songs now. The band is clearly relaxed, expanding their limitations in terms of how long they can maintain a jam – there are no short tracks here, but even the ones that don’t hit particularly well feel exactly as long as they should be.  Whenever one goes over the 5-minutes mark, it’s a a feat accomplished with ease. It’s just unfortunate that the musicians didn’t push and grow their songwriting skills to the same extent.

The success of Primary Colours was mostly on account of its tight, focused songwriting, and that’s exactly what’s missing in a lot of Skying‘s tunes. The new, sparse and atmospheric style can work perfectly on certain occasions, providing powerful hooks that hit harder than one would expect; but other times, it can also show a remarkable lack of substance. While the group has definitely established a sound to call their own, it is, more often than not, quite unexciting. Little it matters how well the musicians perform their parts, when the songs aren’t gripping or enticing enough for the listener.

Skying doesn’t reveal much of itself on a first listen; after a few spins, the best songs become apparent for their rich and elaborate compositions, while others show just how unimpressive they really are. Given the high standard set by their second LP, it’s simultaneously admirable that The Horrors managed to further evolve some of their qualities, and disappointing how they couldn’t keep things interesting throughout the entirety of a new album. In the end, it’s likely that you’ll be coming back for a few particular moments, but not for the whole ride.