Violator

Well this album is doing the rounds on my iTunes at the mo, so I'm obviously just a sucker for uninspiring lazy rehashes of unoriginal disco music.

One of my favorite albums this year and I couldn't care less about Daft Punk - never been that fussed with 'em. I guess the classic early 80s -late 70s retro thing ticks all the right boxes for me. *shrug*

It'll definitely compliment 'After Dark 2'. My biggest criticism is it's about two tracks too long.

Really like it though.

Beautiful album.

It was really well polished 80s/ 90s pop pulled off with aplomb.

I stick by what I've said - 'Happiness' is solid where as 'Exile' isn't.

It's clear the reviewer here was never gonna like this album because they can't stand HURTS. Yet, I still think 'Happiness' is an absolutely solid pop record - it's got 'Wonderful Life' on it for a start and that's one of the best pop tunes of the last five years - easily. Apart from that, I can't think of a poor track on it.

'Exile' though is waaaay too much. Contrary to wthe opinion in the review, I don't think it is an extension of their original sound at all - they've abandoned the 80s pop aesthetic slightly in favour of a more obvious Coldplay kind of stadium friendly nonsense and where as 'Happiness' got very close to the edge of being ridiculous in its theatricality, this is just overbearingly dull.

I will say this - 'Somebody to Die For' and 'Only You' are far and away the best two tracks on this album and yet they're mentioned as particular targets for derision in the review. I guess that's because they are the closest things on here to the stuff that they were doing on 'Happiness' and which the reviewer despises and I really enjoy.

Oh well, horses for courses. I'd give it a 5/10 but 'Happiness' still gets an 8/ 10 for me.

I would hazard a guess that many 'Is This It?' faithful Strokes fans will not.

I'd like to be wrong though.

The first four tracks are beautiful and the last two are really lovely too. I find things a bit 'samey' in the middle - Lifeforms through to Touch basically, though I'll keep working on these.

Landfill should have made the LP IMO. Would have worked too and it's a lot stronger than some of this material.

I've had the album on repeat for days now - cracking pop album.

I'd hasten to add that although one of the virtues sited in the review, is the length, the two bonus track on iTunes - 'I Run Empty' and 'Guilty As Charged' - are both very well worth while getting too.

Fantastic album and my stand out of the year so far.

This album has grown on me a lot but it's not as good as TLF at all.

It's strange to read a review that seems to assume that everyone agrees the Foals are still looking for that 'great album' and need it desperately - many people think they've already achieved that.

This album is Foals' self-assured third effort built of the confidence they've rightly earned.

"People will form their own opinion, but I'm right."

It's about as disappointing as 'Violet Cries' was for me - it's just boring and no where near thrilling enough or even hauntingly affecting enough as music like this should actually be. It's just a bit - well flat.

There's some stand outs such as the single but nothing here really lives up to the huge promise that was the debut EP '33' which is still really quite good to my mind. I'm a bit fed up with this band to be honest as they haven't proven to be what I wanted and that's why my patience with them has run thin.

They can and should do better. I have a feeling they won't - this is the band they seem destined to be.

Superb.

because I would have said exactly the same thing a month or so ago when I spotted an album by a band called 'Ceremony' on Amazon and thought is was referring to this band.

I'm afraid I was disappointed. Glad to hear these guys are still around, though I have to confess that 'Rocket Fire' was a bit of a let down.

It's a pity this isn't an LP of new material though.

Shut up you fool.

Either that or you're typing from a stolen lap top in a padded cell somewhere.

I love APTBS but they're no where near as good as The Lost Rivers. To release their weakest album a couple of months or so after that extraordinary effort really is a shame.

There's just something really visceral missing from their music at the moment.

For all the growling guitars and ear damaging distortion, it just seems a bit paint by numbers these days.

Always sad to see a good band drop the ball.

Fuck me, I'm illiterate.

I've listened to this album about three times as a mate if mine has a naughty copy of it. I can't tell you how underwhelmed I was. What a shame.

It just doesn't have the tunes nor the sheer power of it's predecessors. I was quite annoyed that it hadn't lived up to my expectations. I'm kind of glad I didn't wait and buy the bloody thing now.

I'm afraid APTBS risk losing their crown to The Lost Rivers at this rate. Shame because two years ago, this was a band I absolutely loved.

There's no way this album is a 9/10 IMHO.

I've had a promo copy for a while and I've had some time to let is soak in. It's not made a huge impact.

It's a nice album - a bit dull at times - but overall, just nice.

The vast majority of tracks on the album are 'downbeat'. Once you've got past 'These Steets Will Never Look The Same', that's it for the big hitters. The rest of the album is saturated with silky melancholy and haunting soundscapes.

There's a lot of space in this album and that's rae. Johnny understands that every now and again it's very powerful when you just don't let the music do much at all and let the near silence build up the atmosphere.

:0)

Spot on Sean.

The big debate around this album will mostly likely be between those who think it's excellent in part but needs to be edited down into something tighter (and I felt that way at firts) and those who think it's a challenging magnum opus that demands your time.

It's a wonderful album though I must disagree with the view that it's front loaded - the 'Bids of Paradise' is possibly one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard and 'A Matter of Time', 'At Your Door', and 'The River' are are brilliant.

It is the album of the year so far for me and by a good mile. I'd be amazed if anyone could knock it off the podium now, even with seven months to go.

Bloody superb album this.

It's what I really look forward to - an album influenced by the gllom rock pioneers of old but sincere about it. This is powerful often unsettling music but its seems like these guys are genuinely troubled and need to tell us something.

That's what was missing from the majority of the gloom rock/ post punk revival.

Will be getting this methinks.

I'm afraid I can't see 'Guilty as Charged' as low point on this album though. It saves the end of it for me.

'Cold as Fire' is ok (I rather like it for it's 80s Bond aspirations and 'Turning' is a nice track too - these sorts of songs are needed to break up the big hitters I think. But 'Frigid Spring' doesn't sit well amongst this collection of songs and stuck right next to another softer track like 'Turning', it does drag the album down a bit at the end.

I just think that 'Guilty as Charged' picks it right back up again. I think that's probably why I'd give this an 8/10 rather than your 7.

Fair review though.

It's doing my nut in.

I'd say that the album is a 6.5 myself - there's some good very songs on the album but overall, it just doesn't work for me.

I forgot it's not out 'til the end of the month. Blasted pre-orders - the review had my hopes up.

Should get the CD from Amazon in the next couple of days.

First they give Rapprocher the review it deserves and now this.

I commend your review John, this is indeed a very good record. Easily more accessible than 'Sentinelle' (though I grew to love that too).

It's almost certainly an unfair comparison to make but simply in terms of an example of electronic pop, this is miles better than 'Gravity The Seducer' and surprisingly it has more catchy tunes.

This is one of my favorite albums of the year and the score is exactly what I'd give it.

and that's a great musician you want to sleep with.

It's not THAT good. I've listened to it a few times already.

I'm really quite disappointed as I have nothing but love for their back catalogue.

I couldn't disagree more with one very specific opinion here.

As I've said on these boards, the second half is the strongest on this album.

Sounds lovely this. A lot of the vocals and ethereal almost ecclesiastical feel to to the music, puts me in mind of Active Child. This is better though.

'She'.

Didn't think I'd like 'Bad Kids' but it's quite good at the end of the album.

I miss 'Americano' which is quite fun but it doesn't fit with the overall style of the rest of the songs on the list so I think it can go.

Nice one.

My only problem is that 'Sooner Or Later' just doesn't seem to go well with the rest of the tracks. It's not that it interrupts the flow of the album in particular nor is it in anyway a bad song - it's just that thematically is sticks out like a sore thumb here.

That aside I'm enjoying this album SOOOO much I fear it may trigger an uncontrollable urge to post lists of clothing and summer wear at bargain prices.

I find that happens to me sometimes.

The bwest album of the year so far (at least for me) is 'Kaputt' by Destroyer. Not sure if it could be threatened by this but one can never say if that'll be the same come December.

No, seriously I honestly mean that!

Listening to it makes me think of the essential fate of the cosmos as beauty and order struggles against the onslaught of entropy. God knows why but that's what I get when I sit back and listen to it.

This is 'proto-music, it almost seems to transcend music. Astonishing and so beautiful.

Shit or masterpiece, that would still be true.

This is a get feel good and with melodies to spare.

Will be on my iPod for some time, I can tell you.

Gonna look into that gig. Cheers.

If you think an album's really good then you can't help but feel smug when you see reviews popping up that confirm your impressions. I think we like to feel like we posses a an 'ear' for great music and that massages our ego a bit.

That's my revised opinion of it. Up from "very good" to bloody good.

That is all.

...but I really, like it now.

I often try not to use words like 'Goth' but it seems entirely natural to refer to EATW as Goth. Super band produces a great album.

I'm tired, sorry.

I am not ready to get carried away to be honest but this absolutely NOT a 3?1p album - a 3/10 album is just slightly better than awful and this easily surpasses that.

I think the reviewers comments may be accurate but the final score is shockingly harsh. It almost makes me want to like this album more than I'd normally do simply to defend it.

7/10?!

Really..? I mean REEEAAALLLY?