Men Among Animals:
Buried Handsome:
Tapete:
Out Now:
6/10
This is the occasionally moody Danish outfit's third album, the follow-up to 2010's Run Ego and a rather rewarding listen on the whole, partly because not all of it is actually moody. Drawing a certain amount of inspiration from countrymen such as Efterklang and Turboweekend and acts from further afield like Arcade Fire, Editors and Stornoway, Men Among Animals can't quite decide what they are but at least seem to enjoy themselves finding out.
First track The Place You Counted On is perhaps the least indicative of what follows. Gloomy self-effacing grey raincoat music, I'd put money on them being just a teensy bit in love with Bauhaus or Echo and the Bunnymen (and Editors, in truth). The next few songs lighten up with the inclusion of 'most ridiculous title of the year', Failures Flaws Regret and Remorse That Follow From Traditional Poli.... oh do you know what? I can't be arsed to type it all out.
Things pick up towards the middle of Buried Handsome with two epic songs that are at odds with each other musically. Big widescreen anthem-rock dominates Common In A Special Way, a sort of Snow Patrol for dreamers, while the serenity of The Rise That Gave Us Away wouldn't sound out of place rubbing shoulders with Polyphonic Spree, Broken Records and Lumineers - rather pleasing, all told.
There are glitchy bits, folky bits, stadium fist-pumping bits and the scourge of indie-bands, the vocoder (on Neighborhood), but it all hangs together without sounding mawkish or dull. Having said that, Men Among Animals are unlikely to scale the heights of some of their peers but not through want of trying.
Buried Handsome:
Tapete:
Out Now:
6/10
First track The Place You Counted On is perhaps the least indicative of what follows. Gloomy self-effacing grey raincoat music, I'd put money on them being just a teensy bit in love with Bauhaus or Echo and the Bunnymen (and Editors, in truth). The next few songs lighten up with the inclusion of 'most ridiculous title of the year', Failures Flaws Regret and Remorse That Follow From Traditional Poli.... oh do you know what? I can't be arsed to type it all out.
Things pick up towards the middle of Buried Handsome with two epic songs that are at odds with each other musically. Big widescreen anthem-rock dominates Common In A Special Way, a sort of Snow Patrol for dreamers, while the serenity of The Rise That Gave Us Away wouldn't sound out of place rubbing shoulders with Polyphonic Spree, Broken Records and Lumineers - rather pleasing, all told.
There are glitchy bits, folky bits, stadium fist-pumping bits and the scourge of indie-bands, the vocoder (on Neighborhood), but it all hangs together without sounding mawkish or dull. Having said that, Men Among Animals are unlikely to scale the heights of some of their peers but not through want of trying.