Vehicles & Animals - Athlete

...So this there debut album Vehicles and Animals.

The band have been gradually getting bigger, following a nomination for this years Mercury Music prize, which they didn't win but did well just to make the shortlist. However it has been a long process for them having released and re-released all the singles a number of times, including You Got The Style which had been released at least three times over the last year.

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...It opens straight out of Vehicles with a sampled drumbeat. The keyboard and guitars come in for a longer intro than on the other tracks before the vocals come in. A different vocal style has been adopted for this track. The drums lead the way brilliantly, whilst the guitars provide the perfect backdrop. The lyrics are well written again and the vocals really make them come to life. A nice beat that really gets the foot tapping and in no time, in ... more

Another new band to arrive really during 2003 are Athlete, from South London, It has taken them almost a year to get notice before finally deciding to release their album back at the end of April. Having first seen them supporting Electric Soft Parade in November last year they are another band that really made a big impression on me. So this there debut album Vehicles and Animals.

The band have been gradually getting bigger, following a nomination for this years Mercury Music prize, which they didn't win but did well just to make the shortlist. However it has been a long process for them having released and re-released all the singles a number of times, including You Got The Style which had been released at least three times over the last year.

The album opens with one of my favourite songs and probably the only single to have only been released once so far, "El Salvador". It opens with the drums and keyboard before the drums fade out and a guitar comes in. Then after a short intro the rest of the song kicks in with the vocals and a nice easy going tune, being carried by the bass and drums. Some odd samples are used in this track, which can at times sound a bit silly, but you let it pass cause the vocals are very good and the lyrics flow easily.

Then it’s the track that actually got me into Athlete in the first place, having heard it on a compilation album, "Westside". This one opens a little slower with the vocals coming in from the beginning again accompanied by the keyboard. When it gets to the chorus the bass comes in with the drums as the pace slowly starts to build. The first verse is quite slow and the chorus the same still gradually building into the next verse before finally it really gets going by the second chorus. The vocals are again strong and once the song really gets going they really carry well and are probably the best feature of the song.

To carry on the fairly mellow start to the album the next track is "One Million". It again starts reasonably slowly with the vocals and drums in from the start building up out of the intro into the first chorus. The drums take the lead role although the vocals are quite predominant in this song progressing. A slow stop in the middle before it kicks off again, but can be a little depressing and a bit too much but it’s really one of those songs you have to be in the right sort of mood/frame of mind to listen to.

Next up is a bit more upbeat start to a track but in the end it is another mellower track, but nowhere near as mellow as the last one. "Shake Those Windows" opens with a guitar and the vocals coming in early, almost talking in the first part, which actually sounds, nice and relaxing and quite harmonic. The keyboard comes into the background before the rest of the band come in for the chorus. The vocals are strong and sound pretty good all the way through. The chorus is solid and the drums again make a big impression on this track but so does the Bass.

The next track is one of the best on the album, "Beautiful". It opens with a sample, mixed with the guitars and keyboard, before the vocals come in quietly at first before gradually speeding up and getting louder. The drums join in for the chorus, where the pace picks up nicely, being led along nicely by the vocals. The guitars as well have a big influence on the direction of the song. Its tracks like this that really make Athlete and not really the more depressing tracks like One Million.

Another mellow track follows in "New Project". Again it starts with the vocals coming in first on their own, before the rest of the instruments come in. The song is quite slow in pace but the drums keep a good beat throughout and the guitars carry the tune along nicely. The main plus this track has though is the vocals, which are strong, tuneful and keep in line with the music well. The end of the track speeds up quite a bit, into a different type of track, before slowing down again for a slow ending.

Then we come to possibly the best three tracks on the album, kicking it off with "You Got The Style". It opens slowly again but quickly speeds up with the vocals coming in straight away, accompanied by a slow drum beat, which fades for the chorus and then the whole lot comes in for the second half of the chorus. The vocals a lot more up-tempo than on the last few tracks. The guitars again are solid; add to that the drums and this really is a quality song. Of course containing the lyrics "Oh Its Gettin Hot In here" it shouldn't be confused with Nelly as Athlete although have a hip hop vibe to there songs definitely are an Indie band.

Next up is the albums title track, "Vehicles And Animals". This is a mellower track than the last but equally as good. Again the vocals come in first accompanied by the guitar for a large part of the song but this acoustic guitar actually does make the song sound amazing, a little different from the rest of the album, then towards the end the drums and keyboard come in to the track and finish it off nicely. The vocals are strong and the lyrics are well written making this a good rounded track. A nice melody, that carries on throughout the song with the guitar really making the track.

The next song has to be my favourite though, "Out Of Nowhere", it's totally different to the other tracks on the album and really a breath of fresh air as far as the album is concerned. It opens straight out of Vehicles with a sampled drumbeat. The keyboard and guitars come in for a longer intro than on the other tracks before the vocals come in. A different vocal style has been adopted for this track. The drums lead the way brilliantly, whilst the guitars provide the perfect backdrop. The lyrics are well written again and the vocals really make them come to life. A nice beat that really gets the foot tapping and in no time, in fact like a lot of the songs it's almost impossible to stop yourself singing along.

The pace slows again for "Dungeness", another slower mellower tune that was going to be a single but I'm not sure if it was ever released. Starting straight after the last song the vocals again come in first with an acoustic guitar. The vocals are a little whinny on this one but somehow it does actually work rather well. The slow pace of the guitar and drums really creates a relaxed mellow feeling to the song. Picking up a little towards the end as the keyboard and guitars start to get a bit louder but nothing that really speeds it up too much.

Then the album rapidly starts to go downhill with first "You Know". It starts with just a guitar and then the vocals come in slowly again over the top of some pretty good guitar playing but really this sound too much like the start of a few of the other tracks. It's a little too mellow with the vocals a little too repetitive, although when it actually starts up it's a pretty good song but it takes a while to get going and varies between the faster louder sound and the quieter mellower sound.

The last track, "Le Casio" is probably the worst track on the album by a long way. It start slowly with the vocals coming in right from the start over a slow winding intro with the keyboard really taking over, which I imagine is a Casio keyboard. This really ruins the song and makes you want to skip it. The vocals sound pretty good, while the drums and guitars really take a back seat as most of the song seems to be done using samples and the keyboard.

Although the album in places probably is a bit too mellow, there seems to be something about Athlete that makes them a band that’s easy to listen too without getting bored. And even though there are a few weaker tracks, the better ones more than make up for it. The album is available from Cd-wow.com for the usual £8.99. If you’ve heard one of the singles and loved it, get the album. If you didn’t like what you heard simply don’t as the album is more of the same.

Cheers
Andy
 

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