So much is said in music of the ability to do things "your way"--the artists/bands way--to take your music in an unencumbered creative direction, as opposed to some commercially attractive option. And while most bands will say that they are following their own unique vision, the truth resembles a somewhat muddier reality. There are those bands that aim to succeed as opposed to create. And there is a very definite difference bwtween the two. Not that the two are necessarily mutually exclusive but such is often the case. And while you may hear those bands that aim to succeed on the radio, you will always remember those that create.
After the success of their debut Limbo, Panto, Wild Beasts were left in a precarious position. They could have easily gone the route to generic radio friendly UK indie rock and gained more commercial viability, while having to possibly give ground on creative control. But what did they do? They focused that already considerable musical expertise, added a wealth of new influences and came away with Two Dancers, an improvement on just about every facet of their debut. With that release, Wild Beasts were wholly independent of any expectations from both fans and critics and were putting out music that they wanted to, not just something to have sitting on the store shelves.
With the release of Smother, they've manged to add an even deeper level to their already considerably dense musical palette. Wild Beasts have never been a band to bend to current musical trends and on this latest release, they've managed to subvert expectations once again and incorporate many different aspects of those same musical trends with regard to what they consider relevant to their own musical identity. Songs like the opener "Lion's Share", with its incorporation of unsettling sexual overtones and building piano release, and "Loop The Loop", a gorgeous study in piano and guitar dynamics, lay claim to the fact that, whatever influences Wild Beasts may have absorbed, the end result is much more than the sum of those influences. Smother is a startlingly honest and mature examination on the nature of connection. The connection between ourselves, between us and the world in which we live. That there exists some semblence of thought and purpose to our lives. That even when we feel that we are alone, we are not. Wild Beasts realize that even in the darkest of our feelings--and they are plentiful--there shines a light which can never be taken from us.
Tracklisting:
01. Lion's Share
02. Bed Of Nails
03. Deeper
04. Loop The Loop (listen to the mp3 below)
05. Plaything
06. Invisible
07. Albatross
08. Reach A Bit Further
09. Burning
10. End Come Too Soon
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