Young Knives couldn't be faulted for much on their breakthrough album, Voices of Animals and Men. If their tartar plaid and throwback video-making -- not to mention their angular /p>
ew wave musical sense -- made them seem rather retro-obsessed, their songs were pure gold and singer Henry Dartnall played the nerdy, over-analytical type very well. But where Voices of Animals and Men featured social critique that didn't make life seem too bad (just the kind of place where you might have to work in a takeaway shop or get a little freaked out about relationships and school life), on Superabundance the situation is quite dire. Dartnall's view of life in England now includes the dreariness of its domestic life, its materialism, the desperation of its nightlife, its lack of care for the individual -- and that's just the first four songs. It's gotten so bad, apparently, that suicide is an option ("Sitting in the front seat/turning on the motor/sucking on the hosepipe/keep it turning over"). But music is, by and large, entertainment and escapism, so regardless of whether Young Knives intend to add enlightenment to that formula, their hooks and their ideas -- their entire musical package -- are too intriguing and exciting to provoke the usual worries about agit-pop. (Tiresome themes, depressing lyrics, and worse yet, the listener's nagging sense that all this has been heard before.) The trio definitely have mastered the basics of /p>
ew wave: the spiky rhythms, plunging basslines, jagged guitars, and yelping vocals. More so than their debut, however, they're proving themselves masters of arranging and pacing their songs for maximum impact, letting guitars rage only up to a point and switching gears multiple times even before they hit the bridge. If you're afraid there's too much faux-populism on display (and not enough true populism), listen to the sober epic "Turn Tail" for something that reaches farther in a lyrical sense than most any other British band of the 2000s; the fatalism of the chorus ("We're all slaves on this ship/this ship's sinking") turns to hope near the end ("Swim to the coast, boat full of ghosts, jump from the prow"). Like certain of their forebears (Gang of Four being only the most obvious), Young Knives understand that using music to make social statements means very little unless the music is as strong as the statements.
There's no doubt the Young Knives are masters of bouncy millennial Britpop,but when they get all dark'n'stormy things go from good to better.'Turn Tail' is a swooping, swaying bounder that's stacked with as much pathos as it is bits that make you want to pop your fist in the air and shake it with glee until it drops off. The unexpected industrial grunge middle eight is pretty ace too.
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The Young Knives occupy a very peculiar spot in current British indie. They’re certainly not some sort of underground cult act, as their Mercury Prize nomination will testify. They get print space in most of the UK’s major music magazines and there was even a “buzz” around them prior to the release of their 2006 debut LP “Voices of Animals and Men”. However, they still lack far behind
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It will be a sad day for me if catchy rock songs ever stop bringing a smile. Don't really know what would ever replace the sensation of a new mix of the three chords of eternity. Take The Young Knives for example. Echoing many influences over the last few decades, these sharply dressed geek-rockers would surely be fun to have over for milk and cookies. But watch it, though they may not look the...
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The Young Knives occupy a very peculiar spot in current British indie. They’re certainly not some sort of underground cult act, as their Mercury Prize nomination will testify. They get print space in most of the UK’s major music magazines and there was even a “buzz” around them prior to the release of their 2006 debut LP “Voices of Animals and Men”. However, they still lack far behind
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Rules1. Put your iPod on shuffle.2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you stole it from.IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?Roll Over Beethoven- THE BEATLESWHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?The Air is Getting Slippery- Primus...
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There's no doubt the Young Knives are masters of bouncy millennial Britpop,but when they get all dark'n'stormy things go from good to better.'Turn Tail' is a swooping, swaying bounder that's stacked with as much pathos as it is bits that make you want to pop your fist in the air and shake it with glee until it drops off. The unexpected industrial grunge middle eight is pretty ace too.
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Fit 4 U |
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| 2 Terra Firma |
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| 3 Up All Night |
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| 4 Counters |
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| 5 Light Switch |
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| 6 Turn Tail |
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| 7 I Can Hardly See Them |
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| 8 Dyed in the Wool |
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| 9 Rue the Days |
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| 10 Flies |
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| 11 Mummy Light the Fire |
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| 12 Current of the River |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Superabundance")
