The Horrors: Skying (XL)

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  19 Sep 2011 in Review

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Formerly goth-pastiche band The Horrors’ third album is really an attempt at reaching some level of credence beyond being amusing, and they have succeeded to some degree. Forget that they are still heavy on anachronism, from using the term ‘skying’ (an old tape recording technique) to referencing 80s new wave, when these guys do it, they do it with such gusto and earnestness that you can’t help but fall in love with them a little.

That being said, much like grindhouse films made today, their reverence to the old is not without a fault. To borrow the same comparison again, like Tarantino, some of the references only serve to make the end product a tad blasé; ‘Endless Blue’ is a tired Chameleons retread and by the time vocalist Faris Badwan channels Richard Butler’s vocals again you’d feel the urge to skip the track.

Yet Faris’ vocals, hidden as it may be under effects, still make for captivating listening, on ‘Still Life’ he makes whispering sweet nothings compelling even to the most hetero of males and coldest of females. Nostalgia works on Skying but ultimately its referential nature distracts from what could be Britain’s best new band.

LISTEN TO: ‘Still Life’ ‘Moving Further Away’
IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU’LL DIG: Ipso Facto, Neils Children, S.C.U.M
RATING: 3

Check out the britpop trivia of the band at www.thehorrors.co.uk.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQk0jDZx8o[/youtube]