Word: albums
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Dates: during 2010-2019
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...most disappointing aspect of the album, though, is its lack of intimacy. The electronic beats and layered guitars become wearying, particularly in the album’s second half. This is true even on the slower songs, like the throwaway closer “All that Remains” and the otherwise enjoyable “Sleepwalker,” which is clearly in the vein of vintage Built to Spill. These tracks present a dreamlike atmosphere reminiscent of Rogue Wave’s early albums, but sabotage this with an ever-present driving beat that prioritizes a misplaced musical...
...studio, which is better used on the album’s first half. Instead, the band occasionally takes a middling arena-rock approach, weakening the songs by starving them of the sentiment of their earlier work, while trying to build upon the grandiose and bombastic statements of their third album...
Jack Barnett is a conductor; he is not a performer. The second album from These New Puritans (TNP), “Hidden,” is an audacious break from the somewhat-restrained alternative rock of their debut, 2008’s “Beat Pyramid,” as Barnett, the group’s songwriter and vocalist, becomes the conductor of a full-blown operatic rock album. The term “operatic” conjures images of perfected, grandiose voices, melodramatic gestures and conventional melodies. But “Hidden?...
Returning to their British roots, TNP have referenced the Benjamin Britten opera “Peter Grimes” as an influence for their latest forray into musical experimentation. Fusing these operatic overtones with London electronica movements—dubstep and dancehall—Barnett has conceived an album which ricochets from ostentatious and oppressive climaxes to moments of melodic escapism. The result is a somewhat tiring journey, but it is a ride worth taking...
...songs which shine on this album are those in which Barnett’s voice is allowed to emerge from the shadows. His simple and rough vocals bring the fantastical nature of many of the operatic pieces back to an earthly level. “White Chords” maintains a heavy electronic presence, though the instrumental backdrop serves to credit Barnett’s voice. His already rough sound seems even lazy, yet effective, as he murmurs and croaks into the microphone. Losing the operatic immensity but retaining many of its stylistic elements, this track achieves a hedonistic unity...