In under 10 years, Faris Badwan and troops have evolved from Bauhaus-influenced goth-tinged oddballs to an act that people sit up and take notice of whenever a release is thrust forth.
‘Primary Colours’, the Horrors' second studio effort, really got the ball rolling, being nominated for the Mercury Prize before ‘Skying’ cemented their sound: lush synthesized slabs of dream-pop with a rock edge. Fifteen months after work was commenced on it, ‘Luminous’ is now with us and it’s more of the same from the quintet, who have solidified their sound.
Either bravely or arrogantly, the album opens with Chasing Shadows, a sprawling epic. Its lengthy instrumental opening sounds like a synth version of the Stone Roses’ Breaking Into Heaven before weaving through spacey swirls and a catchy, descending four-chord chorus.
First Day Of Spring recalls Cocteau Twins guitars amid an early ‘80selectro sound, with a touch of shoegaze chucked in for good measure, while So Now You Know’s synths fade in and out as Visage meets OMD for another highlight.
There’s a distinct flavour of the Human League to the brilliant In And Out Of Light, the reverb-soaked keys following the example of the synth-pop pioneers’ Love Action (I Believe In Love), and Jealous Sun casts a psychedelic spell, its dramatic opening chords leading the way into a swirling electronica melody.
It’s again hard to escape the OMD similarities on Falling Star, which is built around a jagged guitar riff and a gorgeous chorus, and there’s more ‘80s love bestowed on I See You, which conjures Echo And The Bunnymen’s Bring On The Dancing Horses set to a disco beat, almost I Feel Love on go slow. An elongated second section stretches the track out to seven and a half minutes, something synonymous with the band’s recent US tourmates TOY.
The rather uninspiring Change Your Mind slows the pace down to a crawl and represents the weakest track in the collection, little more than a melancholy come down. Sleepwalk finishes things off in now familiar style, its bubbling electronics, sweet vocals and wobbly backing track adding up to a feeling of more of the same. And that’s one of the few issues with ‘Luminous’; some of its songs lack distinguishing features.
This record walks a very similar path to its predecessor, which is no bad thing of course, and the refinement of the band’s sound now looks to be almost complete. If they’re channelling OMD, renowned for writing some classic synth-pop gems, though, then there’s more to come in the melody department. The atmosphere, though heavenly throughout, cannot be solely relied upon if the Horrors are to give us a truly classic album. They are, however, edging ever closer to that goal.
The Horrors Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sat May 10 2014 - LONDON 100 Club
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