Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Member since:29.08.2002
Reviews:627
Members who trust:281
It’s always hard to follow up a good debut album. In fact it’s a task some bands find totally impossible but Athlete were determined to succeed. Creating a follow up to Vehicles and Animals was always going to prove tough as although containing a few weaker tracks the album was excellent. So 2 years down the line and Athlete returned with Tourist. The first single “Wires” provided an insight into the new albums more mature sound and early indications showed the album would be just as good as the debut effort.
No one expected that the boys from London could actually go and better the excellent Vehicles and Animals but that’s exactly what they’ve done. The new album boasts a more mature sound from Athlete and they seem to have benefited from it. Gone is the simple melody from the first album to be replaced by a much deeper and slightly more haunting bass line. In fact the overall sound of the album has a more mature edge to it that makes all the tracks incredibly enjoyable.
The
first single from the album set a precedent for the bands new sound and its something they can work from for the eventual third album. For the time being though this is a superb collection of songs, with slight changes in tempo that give the album quite a varied taste. In fact the album itself does enough to challenge for Coldplay’s title as one of Britain’s best exports. If the band are going to break the States then it’s fair to say that this is the album that will do it for them. The album is made largely of sweeping guitars and emotive melodies that make it such a success.
From the opening bars of the first track it easy to see that the band have grown up in a lot of ways. The synthesisers have almost totally gone but it’s the change in lead singer Joel Pott’s vocals that really makes the album. During the debut effort he seemed to have a mockney accent that stood out on just about every track. Now he seems to have dropped the accent and his vocals sound simply amazing. It gives the band as a whole a better sound and makes the mellower ballads on the album sound even better.
As a musical proposition Athlete are sounding even better. As I mentioned they have done away with the synthesiser that plagued the previous album and replaced it with a great deal of musical talent. Its lead on the whole by the guitars backed up sublimely by the drums. For long sections of the album the soaring melody’s take over and make it one of the better albums released so far this year. The album has a mixture of Indie pop songs that show Athlete have got what it takes to compete with the likes of Coldplay.
Unlike the last album it doesn’t tail off towards the end with no tracks really standing out as being weak. The songs are all enjoyable and the album can withstand multiple listens before you even realise it’s the third time you’ve heard a certain track. From the first time I heard the album a couple of tracks really stood out to me. The albums title track is certainly my favourite, “Tourist” offers a cross over between the last album and this. It’s quite similar in places but still shows the more mature sound of the band. The melody is fantastic and Pott’s voice certainly shows just how much his vocal talents have improved.
The other track that really stood out to me from the first time I listened to the album has to be “Street Map”. From the opening bars on the piano it sounds a little bit like Coldplay at their best. Pott and co have created a truly beautiful track in “Street Map” that will certainly make a great single. The mellow parts of the album really set the tone whilst tracks like “Modern Mafia” lift the pace a little and add the real variety into the album that “Out Of Nowhere” did for the debut album.
Overall this is an excellent return from Athlete. The debut album was good but had a couple of weak links that they needed to improve on for the follow up. They’ve done just that and created a much more mature sounding album that really shows a band coming of age. They’ve held on to the factors that made the first album such a joy to listen to and improved on it with a more personal touch. It’s lyrically a more moving and sublime album that really touches you while the music flows past. The biggest success though has to be the just how good the album is. It was a big ask of the band to improve on the debut effort and a task I’d say they met head on and successfully over came.
Amazon.co.uk: £8.49
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
It's not THAT much like Coldplay is it? I heard Tourist (the song, that it) and liked it, and now I'm defo gonna consider buying the album.
RockBoi 14.05.2005 18:03
actually heard one of their tracks (off this release I believe) on the radio yesterday and thought it was superb, shame I can't remember the title - will have to search this one out soon. Alex
jonesri 18.04.2005 21:11
Love this album. A very under-rated band. Class. Rich
After their first album brought Athlete both commercial and critical success (including a ... more
Mercury Prize nomination), it was always going to be a tough act to follow. But on Tourist, the London four-piece have ditched the quirky pop of their debut and i...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Mar 21st, 2005
exceptional by (2%):
very helpful by (96%):
helpful by (2%):
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
![Album Vol.6, The (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Various Artists - review by sarasweet](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/stars/2003/stars30.gif)
