One of the greatest things that folk duo Turin Brakes does superbly is create powerful, infectious opening songs to each of their albums. This also proves to be the case on their latest LP, ‘Outbursts’, an acoustic-laden album that sees the band – Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian – return to their organic roots and grow a very splendid piece of work.
With album opener and first single, ‘Sea Change’ a strumming acoustic tune paints the scene of a quaint, beachfront that is quickly disrupted by an uproar of a furious tide, bringing with it deep, orchestral layers and intense vocals. Quite simply, the song is so good that there is an overwhelming urge to hit repeat before moving onto the second track, Mirror, a track that challenges earth, and all the gods in it, to do their worst and see if the heart of humanity survives. And it’s songs like this that prove how Turin Brakes have endured after continue to slap out lovely acoustic riffs and beautiful harmonies.
An added bonus you get with this album is there are no filler tracks, unlike with the group’s two prior efforts, where it was evident that some lackluster/not-so-good songs tended to be thrown in the mix. The middle section of ‘Outbursts’, with songs like ‘Will Power’, ‘Apocolips’ and the awkward but catchy ‘Embryos’ has made up for that, however, testifying that the childhood friends have gone back to conjuring their old, but nonetheless original, tricks of trade.
Finally, maybe it just can’t be said enough – and with a sigh of relief – that the pair have definitely weaved their magic back in each song, be it with their wonderful crescendos, soaring choruses or the strumming of infectious folk melodies. Outbursts shows the band once again finding sacred key that created a universal fascination nearly a decade ago. Let’s hope they latch onto it this time.
Turin Brakes’ Outburts is out now. Order from Amazon here. Their UK tour starts tonight.
By Emmy Droege on Tuesday, 9th March 2010 at 2:00 pm
Comments (0)