‘Eagerly’ or ‘hotly’ anticipated may be cliché hype for in press circles – be it PR or reviews – and while often there’s a buzz from the wait, there aren’t many albums I personally find myself on the edge of my seat for. The fourth album from Asylums, a band I’ve followed and greatly appreciated from the very start of their career, however, is one of those rarities.
The downside of such fervent anticipation is the disappointment that so often follows. I’m still suffering the crushing anguish of Mansun’s ‘Little Kix’, and the less said about the last Interpol album, the better.
Not so for Asylums, though. If second album ‘Alien Human Emotions’ lacked the zip of the debut, then the Steve Albini recorded ‘Genetic Cabaret’ made up for it in spades, recapturing the punky energy of the debut with strong, chunky riffs and ken melodies.
‘Signs of Life’ finds the band exploring the same themes that define their songs – consumerism, capitalism – but if anything, there’s a renewed vigour on display here, which was apparent in the three singles they’ve released to date, which so happen to be the first three songs on the album. Perhaps this is another tip heeded from Albini, who said something along the lines about putting the strongest three songs at the start of an album.
‘Scatterbrain’ certainly makes for a strong start, and one of the best things about it is that it sounds quintessentially Asylums: for all of their assimilation of key elements of classic poppy punk and 90s indie – like smashing The Buzzcocks and Pavement together and whipping in some ‘Blur’ era Blur – Asylums absolutely have their own sound. They’re also consummate songwriters, meaning that songs that are perhaps only ok at first – like ‘Understand the Philosophy’, being more pop than punk – reveal their brilliance over time, thanks for their capacity for earworm-by-stealth songs.
Single cut ‘Crypto Klepto’ is a standout, a burning fireball of a song which returns to the fire of the likes of ‘Slacker Shopper’ from the debut, rammed home with some powerhouse drumming and full-throttle energy that calls to mind Killing Joke.
‘Erase the Edges’ makes for a lettuce-limp lull, but then side two is just back-to-back bangers, with all the energy, and Luke Branch’s unique buzzing guitar sound powers to the fore to really shape the songs. The swooning strings on ‘Everybody’s Got a Space to Fill’ work well, and if it hints towards Manic Street Preachers circa ‘Everything Must Go’ then it’s hardly a bad thing, and closer ‘The Mirror’ is simply huge.
‘Signs of Life’ finds Asylums channelling all the energy, and there’s frustration and critique woven throughout an album that’s rich in cracking tunes and savvy lyrics that are more focused on the human condition and the strains of modern living than politics per se. The bottom line is that this is – yet another – fantastic album that packs all the hooks and is absolutely essential.
