Review by Conor Skinnader
The tantalising dancefloor grooves of Nights Out, Metronomy’s last album led to many people comparing them to Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem among other stalwarts of that particular sound. It was certainly justified, with hooks and beats so slick and fun it could make an accountant bust some moves in the office. With English Riviera, Metronomy have taken a somewhat different direction, attempting to sound more like a band than a dance oriented group. This may be something to do with the fact the group’s personnel has changed slightly, with them having lost two members and gained a drummer – something they didn’t have previously.
Upon listening, it becomes clear that the title embodies the sound of the album. English Riviera is an attempt to link Metronomy’s home town roots on the English coast to the French disco funk of the Riviera. And in some aspects it does. The opening track begins with the sound of waves and some seagulls to get you envisioning that coastal holiday feeling, before slowly morphing into ‘We broke free’, a laid back catchy tune that sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly, with a perfectly stripped down and arranged sound. The third, ‘Everything Goes my Way’, follows up with a light and breezy melody that wouldn’t be out of place in an indie film with someone driving an open top car along the Cote d’Azur, further re-inforcing the ‘riviera’ feeling of the album. Again, easy to digest lyrics are at the forefront with ‘Love, I’m in love again’ repeating for almost half the duration of the song but still failing to spoil it.
Following this is ‘The Look’; a delightful organ synth and bass driven number that for some reason made me think of swanning around Blackpool pier despite never being there. It just has that timeless holiday feeling to it, but yet again keeps the lyrics and sound arrangement very simple. In fact, it’s difficult to see why they had a drummer join the band as throughout the album he adds very little to the overall sound.
We then move into ‘She Wants’, which makes the album seem as if it’s going to turn on it’s head with a dark moody bassline completely contrasting the aforementioned tracks. However, before we even get a chance to get into it, it suddenly turns into another light and breezy number which is slightly disappointing. They probably could have made a real stamp on the album with this track, but seemed to have shied away from any big surprises.
From here on the album floats effortlessly through the rest of the tracks, some of which are a bit drawn out and unnecessary to be honest. It’s easy listening and it’s got background music on a hot summers day written all over it, but it’s definitely not ground breaking. This means mediocrity ensues for the 2nd half, barring one track; ‘The Bay’, which stands out mainly because it is not unlike the material on their last album. It’s also crying out for a remix from a house magician like Alan Braxe or Fred Falke, which would give it even more legs.
The fact that a track reminiscent of their older sound, stands out in an album which has taken Metronomy in a new direction, may be evidence that they shouldn’t have strayed too far from a winning formula. However bands have to be applauded for breaking free from a sound associated with them and trying something different. It’s just unfortunate that in this case the new style isn’t particularly effective. Overall the album is definitely worth a listen, but there are so many new stronger offerings out there, meaning you’ll probably see it quickly drop off your radar.