Recognition for Everything Everything has been slow in coming, but after début album ‘Man Alive’ was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2011, and support slot with Muse in The O2 last November, the band’s profile has risen dramatically. The new album has generated a great deal of excitement especially after the release of the impressive singles Cough Cough and Kemosabe.
‘Arc’s’ style is quite like that of their début ‘Man Alive’. Strong drum beats control the pace and tempo of the songs, and these often change several times during songs. Quirky guitar riffs contort the texture of the songs in unusual ways, but it’s Jonathan Higgs’ vocals that are the focal point of every song. His ability to effortlessly jump around his massive vocal range is amazing, and contributes greatly to the band’s unique appeal. Another characteristic of the band is their habit of totally changing direction in the middle of a song. Feet For Hands for example starts out quite quickly and intensely, but slows right down at the chorus before shifting again at the outro. This tactic of constant change throughout songs is a risky one, but the band pull it off spectacularly.
Everything Everything tend to experiment with strange effects during verses before bursting forth, with extremely catchy choruses. The dependence on drums and vocals to maintain the listener’s focus during the verse can become a little dull, but the band always seem capable of pulling out a tremendously catchy guitar riff during the chorus. Radiant seems to linger just a little too long on the verse, but only until an explosive riff brings the song back to life. On the other hand, magnificent single Kemosabe’s strange chugging electro effect has a brilliant groove and the chorus is powerful and uplifting, leaving you feeling invigorated. The Peaks is a bit different, building the atmosphere slowly, adding more and more instruments in until the song climaxes with Higgs’ euphoric cries.
‘Arc’ is a wonderfully complex album which can swerve off in a different direction completely in the blink of an eye, enabling the listener to find something new with every listen. Although some parts of the album are a little too odd and strange to be universally palatable, there is no denying that Everything Everything’s adorable quirkiness make them one of the most interesting ,exciting and innovative bands around.
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