AWmusic

I was actually sent the wrong Wild Beasts album and for a good while I was under the impression I was listening to Two Dancers when I actually was listening to 2008’s Limbo Panto.

I ended up digging Limbo Panto and it’d probably rate as a 4 and a 4.5 if I put it under my review glasses. The thing that stands out the most of Wild Beasts and if you read any review, it’s Hayden Thorpe’s falsetto vocals. I’m willing to call Thorpe’s vocals hands down one of the best in indie rock and that’s the main draw. Critics criticized their debut album for the lack of an effort from their backing back but I personally enjoyed it.

Let’s be honest when you have a singer that is a mix between Antony from Antony and The Johnsons and the high pitched castrated type vocals like Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit. The fact is that, to be good, the band could do less to facilitate Hayden’s Thorpe voice and he did that wonderfully on Limbo Panto.

Two Dancers has a push/pull experience in that it takes away from Thorpe’s vocals but the band does add a lot more to the forefront. Which is welcome but I do admit that I liked the debut album much more. I have a hard time finding songs I really really like, Two Dancers contains a lot of solid songs but nothing that particularly stands out. It’s more of a subtle sort of variety in terms of Thorpe’s vocals this time around. Perhaps a little held back?

Either way, the band shows that they are indeed more then just facilitating Thorpe but on the other hand, I can’t say I wouldn’t be totally digging Thrope if it wasn’t for his vocal prowess.

Overall, a decent above average album. Nothing great in my opinion but finding even ground between Limbo Panto and Two Dancers could lead the band to something special. To be fair though, they already have a special singer so it shouldn’t be that hard.

Rating:
3.75 out of 5
I seem to have trouble writing today. In a bit of rush… Favorites include: Hooting and Howling and the closing track The Empty Nest. It’s a laid back album but I guess it feels a little too relaxed at times that I could bring out the boring word if I listen for too long.

For some moments I feel like they’ve made a wonderful tracks other times I feel like they aren’t as good as they can be. They are a band to watch for sure though.
Hooting And Howling by Wild Beasts
The Empty Nest by Wild Beasts