Two Door Cinema Club: Tourist History – Album Review

OK, so let me preface this entire piece with the admission that yes, I was pretty darn excited about getting my hands on Tourist History. From the snapshots I had heard and the general buzz about Two Door Cinema Club everything was pointing towards great great things. When weighed up against that kind of expectation it is always likely that the realisation will fall some way short and leave you disappointed. So which way does Tourist History fall? Does it live up to the hype or does it leave you disappointed?

Well, neither really. It’s fair to say that the hype outweighs the product but at the same time I didn’t really feel I’d been short-changed or wanting more. Though if I’m honest, it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting either. Having been picked up by Kitsuné and having produced a fair amount of decent remixes for other people in the last few months I was expecting a greater emphasis on the dance side rather than the indie-style that is very much to the fore instead. That said, “I Can Talk” is a great upbeat, floor filler which is reminiscent of Hot Chip’s “Ready for the Floor”.

The only real issue with Tourist History though is that while each track is good, they all sound a bit alike. On more than one occasion I had to double check that I hadn’t accidentally hit repeat on my iPod, so similar are some of the introductions to each song. But as I say, each song is good at the very least and the album does stand up to repeat listening in a short period of time.

The whole album is shamelessly upbeat from the very opening bars of “Cigarettes In The Theatre” all the way through to “You’re Not Stubborn” less than 35 minutes later. Short, sharp indie-pop songs, all of which clock in at less than 4 minutes, Tourist History shoots along at a breakneck speed, barely letting you pause for breath. Full of catchy riffs and hooks, I found tracks like, “This Is The Life”, “Something Good Can Work” and “I Can Talk” bouncing round my head long after I’d stopped listening to the album. In fact, I’d say that triumvirate of songs, one after the other, is the high watermark of the whole CD. “Undercover Martyn” which follows these three is great too, but these are, for me, the standout tracks.

I’ve read elsewhere that they have been likened to Bloc Party and even early Radiohead but I’m not convinced myself. There’s an element of fun in Two Door Cinema Club that isn’t always present in these two groups. That said, there is evidence that both and other indie artists have influenced the tracks on Tourist History, I even thought I heard some Bluetones in there (on “This Is The Life”) and for some reason I can even hear the ‘Danger Mouse’ theme in “What You Know”. Says all you need to know about me really

I really liked Tourist History and if you’re a fan of upbeat indie-pop I strongly recommend giving it a go. I’ve stuck the CD in the car for the drive to work in the mornings to help get the energies flowing (it sounds even better in the car) and my eyes are well and truly peeled for upcoming gigs as I imagine they would be fantastic live. All in all, a strong, energetic, positive and hugely enjoyable debut which you’ll appreciate even more if you’ve managed to stay clear of the hype Two Door Cinema Club have generated already.

Oh boy, this is good – Delphic Review

Today I was going to write about Ellie Goulding. I spent much of the weekend listening to what limited tracks of hers are available in various locations online. I was going to write about Ellie Goulding but then I started to listen to Acolyte, the debut album by Delphic.

Naturally I reserve the right to change my mind at a later date (it has only been out a few hours after all so I’m only on my second listen as I write) but holy fuck I love it.

When I finally get round to writing about Them Crooked Vultures (I’m putting it off to be honest) I will no doubt talk about the impenetrable, self-indulgence of some of their tracks that ramble on for six mins plus for no discernable reason. The title track of the Delphic album, Acolyte, is just shy of nine minutes, Red Lights and Counterpoint both clock in at just over six each. Give a shit, they’re great. No self-indulgence here.

Now it may be that Acolyte is nothing more than the perfect antidote to a cold, tired Monday morning but this feels like life affirming stuff. Shamelessly upbeat and energetic I am actually feeling more positive and ready for the day ahead as a result of listening. This is what music is all about; it should penetrate your soul and affect or reflect your mood. I’m writing this on the train to London and I can honestly say that the two hours, undisturbed, that I am getting to listen to this is making the journey entirely worthwhile. Ok, enough script-based fellatio for the time being, you want to know about the album itself.

I haven’t seen the video to Counterpoint yet but I imagine it’s nothing more than a guy walking through the streets of London with a huge fucking grin on his face. I imagine this because it’s exactly what I want to be doing when I hear the track. Headphones in, coat pulled in tight against the cold, late night walk around London, snow falling gently around me with the lights and sounds spilling out onto the streets from various pubs, ending up meeting a group of friends for a drink in a warm and friendly hostelry with an awesome jukebox “Someone tell me nothing’s wrong today” – Seriously, nothing is.

Counterpoint comes towards the end of the album and it almost feels like the whole thing is building to this track. This is, in a way, supported by the fact that it is followed by Ephemera; a short, soft melodic come down of a track, providing time and space in which to breathe again before the gentle pick me up of Remain (think Discovery era Daft Punk) which is a relatively gentle but gorgeous song with soft vocals that caress you as you listen. Jesus, could I be any more in love with this album?

Quick aside, I just watched the video to Counterpoint, I was almost right! More fields and less smiling than I imagined, but still, there’s a fair bit of walking.

Anyway, back to it. This is an album that feels ultra modern yet deliciously retro at the same time. Melodic, full of pinpoint accurate electronic attacks on your senses blended with smooth synth-harmonies, Acolyte reaches back into the 80’s and channels the high points of both New Order and the Pet Shop Boys with some of U2’s anthemic pop thrown in for good measure. Yet I can’t quite pull away from that Daft Punk comparison either. Not entirely for the way the music sounds, (though they both blend electro dance and guitar based indie superbly. Don’t believe me about Daft Punk? Go listen to Robot Rock again.) more the way it makes you feel. Just like with the French duo’s second live album, Alive 2007, I can’t really stop my foot from tapping, my head from nodding and my finger from hitting repeat.

From the short, sharp intro of Clarion Call straight into the stunning Doubt and on to the seemingly West Wing inspired Red Lights (“I wouldn’t stop for red lights, I wouldn’t come up for air” echoes Donna telling Josh that if he was in an accident she wouldn’t stop for traffic lights. Yeah I’m a geek, what of it?), on through Acolyte, Halcyon, Submission and all the way up to the euphoric high of Counterpoint before the gentle come down as described above, this is an album that not only works as a collection of individual tracks but as an holistic entity in its own right. Even the remixes tacked on as extras are good, if a little too house for my usual taste.

This Momentary was the second single Delphic released last year and in it they call out “Let’s do something real” with Acolyte, this Manchester trio have done just that.

I may come back to this and revise my initial eulogy of just how damn good this is but as of now, don’t bother with Spotify, if you like any kind of dance music, go and buy it.

***UPDATE***

Don’t worry it’s still all good.

As I was listening to Acolyte for the second time yesterday, a thought started to permeate my subconscious. It became stronger during the third listen but I thought maybe it was just me. Then I saw that the lovely people at Gigwise had the same thought so I decided to share it.

There’s a real resonance with Bloc Party here. The vocals throughout Acolyte are quite reminiscent of Kele Okereke’s and as I started to think about it, it could almost be a companion piece to A Weekend In The City. Now obviously it’s not as explicitly about a weekend out and about but there is that kind of feeling about the whole thing. I touched on it above with everything building to a crescendo with Counterpoint and I now see a group of friends out clubbing and making their way home euphoric and shattered on the night bus. A nice night bus of course, not one with that drunk girl flopping about all over the seats, the guy near the back who looks like he’s either going to flash you or stab you and the tramp at the front who is the only one not to notice he’s pissed himself.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share that final thought, and it will be a final thought now. I’ve already bored everyone on twitter half to death by going on about Delphic. I’ll stop now. Back to Ellie Goulding, tomorrow maybe.