Customer Reviews

Cults

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been obsessed with Cults since the first time I heard about them. I really enjoyed their sound on first listen and was anxiously awaiting their debut album.

Cults have a 60s vibe/sound with a modern twist. This is understandable, since the only kind of music the two of them both enjoy is from that time. They have combined something they both love and put their own twist on it. While some may complain about this style saying it's just repackaging, I disagree. I found this band and their debut album to be completely wonderful and a great listen. A perfect summer soundtrack. On the other hand while the music is upbeat, the lyrics are on the darker side. It's the perfect contrast, I think. You are humming/singing along to a catchy song with a nice beat, then all of a sudden you do a double take because of a lyric you just sang. I love that about music, and Cults do that quite well. (Some of my favorites: Abducted, Go Outside, Never Saw the Point, and Bumper.)

Take a listen. I don't think you will regret it, and before you know it you will have a summer soundtrack.

I bought this after reading the reviews and I was definitely not disappointed. "Cults" is a blast from start to finish. If Lou Reed wrote songs for a Motown girl group and Phil Spector produced it might sound like this. The tracks are bouncy and hook filled and with Madeline Follin's voice buried in reverb you might not notice how dark the lyrics really are. While it sounds totally different, the album made me think of The Cars self-titled album, as they're both debut albums that for most bands would be 'greatest hits' compilations. Highlights are "Go Outside" (of course), "You Know What I Mean", "Never Heal Myself" and, erm, well frankly its ALL highlights. Some of the riffs are a bit familiar, but that's what rock musicians do: borrow/steal from their influences. The album is a bit short, but again that didn't phase me; 30 minutes of genius is preferable to an hour of mediocre any day. The samples from cult leaders are a bit gimmicky but they work. They don't get in the way of the tunes and help to emphasize the scary undercurrent beneath the sugary surfaces. Highly recommended.

Cults' self titled debut is a sweet and simple swirl of 60's pop jingles and echo-y girl-group vocal sensibilities, which lends itself to easily understanding why Columbia records snatched them up so quickly. The album's opener, "Abducted", begins with distant sounding guitar riffs and vocals before exploding into crisp, shimmery melodies about heartache-"He broke my heart because I really loved him." This theme of girl loves boy/girl hates boy is one that carries through many of the songs making the delicate bedroom vocals all the more sweeter.

The album continues with "Go Outside." Between the song's toy xylophone-sounding instrumentations, hand claps, and layered vocals, it's no wonder the song grabbed the attention of many before the album even existed. The song continues to work that same magic on the album, pulling the listener further into the album's addicting spiral of playfully girly vocals and deliciously simple musical arrangements.

Songs such as "You Know What I Mean" and "Bumper" posses a retro feel and call up images of a 1960's brokenhearted high school girl singing into her hairbrush while thinking about the captain of the football team, while "Oh My God" and "Bad Things" sound like chalky, playground hopscotch sing-alongs with jump rope percussion.

With its playful melodies tinted with hints of aggressive guitars weaving around the lyrical exploration of failed relationships ("Never Saw The Point" ), and fluttering pianos mixed with girl-singing-to-her-mirror vocals ("Most Wanted"), this is the perfect summer album. The album's blend of infectiously catchy riffs and lyrical frustrations- "Please don't tell me you know the plans for my life / I can run away and leave you here to stay inside dreaming"-make Cults a fun and alarming realistic listening experience.

Cults seems to be one of the many groups who are constantly lumped into the "throwback" category, which is only a fairly distant relative to the "Rehash" category. And it's true, the girl group inspired vocals of Madeline Follin with the various layers of percussion harkens back to the golden days of the 60's. But on hearing the opening track "Abducted", one immediately gets the sense that there is something very special about this group Cults. They are not a band trying to replicate their grandparent's record collection. Rather they are refurbishing a classic sound and making it new again for modern audiences. It is homage while being instantaneously fresh. The album's lead single "Go Outside" sounds more like an ode to Peter Bjorn and John then the 60's with its simple xylophone melody and sing-song chorus. While some of my favorites: "Most wanted", "You know what I mean", and "Bumper" are fun bouncy alt pop cuts that flaunt Cults' influences with effortless pinache. The album ends with the anthemic "Rave On" and it shows Cults branching into a new more exciting territory then what a few of the filler tracks here show. Hopefully it is the sound of a great group that will only get better with each album. The fact that Cults came out with a very memorable debut with such a fresh sound makes them one of the many new groups to watch.

4.5/5

Top Tracks: Abducted, Go Outside, Most Wanted, Bumper, Rave On

Listen to a song, it's more of the same. Not to poo-poo away their sound - it's good, shiny, and infectious. The vinyl itself is fit on one double sided record and translates well to analog. They tag along a free digital download with the album - which is appreciated.

CULTS burst into the blogosphere a little over a year ago with 3 songs and lots of anonymity. Now they signed to Columbia and put out this self-titled debut. It's a fine debut and I really hope that kids pick up this album. I think the audience can range from anybody who reads Pitchfork down to young folks who are fed Taylor Swift. It's just a solid pop record that is easily to swallow. This will certainly be a 'go to' when it's Christmas time as I know people will dig it. Hopefully there is no sophomore slump from CULTS and we can see them grow into adulthood (in musical terms).

It's really inspiring to see the cults making a name for themselves. It gives hope to the underdogs in the music industry... it reminds all of us that music is supposed to be fun, expressive, emotional, and creative. Overall, it's a great album and I think it will spawn a whole new popularity for indie music.

When British singer Lily Allen started embarking on other endeavors, one of the things she did was start her own record label. Her Columbia Records distributed imprint In The Name Of found the New York indie pop duo Cults. Comprised of singer Madeline Follin and guitarist Brian Oblivion, they originally were a couple who just happened to share the same interest- a career in music. They decided to form a band- the only problem was their music tastes weren't exactly along the same lines. Melanie leaned toward Americana and folk music, while Brian was more into electronic music like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. To find a common ground, they both met in the middle with an affinity towards 60's pop music. From there, they recorded and released their self-titled debut in which they produced themselves with assistance from recording engineer Shane Stoneback.

While this album is heavily influenced by the music of the 60's, their album is less Motown and more Wall Of Sound. Look no further than the leading track and first single "Abducted", where Madeline sings about being loved and later abandoned. On the catchy "Go Outside", they sing of a couple confined to being homebodies when one of them wants to get out and see the town. They nail down the old doo-wop sound on "You Know What I Mean" and sing of haeartbreak on "Never Heal Myself". Madeline sings lead on most of the songs, but gets rare guest vocals from Brian on the aforementioned "Abducted" as well as on the uptempo "Bumper". They close out the album with the swinging style of "Rave On". As upbeat as a majority of the songs sound, most of the tracks have an underlying theme of heartbreak and sadness. It's also a brief recording as well, with most of the songs being real short bringing the album to being well under 35 minutes. Overall, this debut album is a great starting point from Cults and from the looks of it, we may hear a lot more from them.

This album is a must-have for anyone enamored with the fun girl group doo wop sound of the 60s! I love this CD from start to finish but stand out tracks include: "Most Wanted", "You Know What I Mean", "Never Saw the Point."

Take a look at their cover! Thats how their music makes you feel! I was happy to find them here and have persuaded friends to enjoy them too!!