Customer Reviews

Primary Colours

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a depart from their first album, art punk with a delightful dark touch, but still keeping the that raw authentic sound the Horror's have. Its a brilliant sophomore album that ventures further in the the dark swirling intrinsic sound that make them stand apart from others. With ghostly familiar authenticity, the Horror's seem to entrance you with their influences.... everything that is dark, dizzying and wonderful.
If you are a fan of the 80's British alt rock bands Echo and the Bunnymen, Jesus and the Mary chain with a touch of the early 90's shoe-gazing droning sound of Loop, My Bloody Valentine, and Ride then you must get this new album from the Horrors and be taken away to a blissful dark trance.

Here's the problem a band like The Horrors faces with a record like this. It gets compared to some excellent sources and influences from way back in the late 70s and 80s and we're left feeling like they're derivative or stuck in a time or place. So, here goes. Most bands in the universe today sound like a horrendous middle of the road, watered down Pearl Jam. Most alt rock sounds like Rush meets Led Z meets Kiss meets Queen. Your Dad's older brother's records. The Horrors sound like....

...like they came snarling and dancing and posing out of punk and goth (80s Goth, not the twilight preteen fantasy) and the Thin White Duke and Can and...well, like they listened and absorbed and diluted and mixed up so very many interesting/preening/posing bands.

The sleeve and the music are out of focus and hypnotic. Sea Within A Sea. Do You Remember snarls from the opening chords, except it's lost and unsure and certain. And textured and layered and aloof.

Sure, Joy Division (live) meets "Heroes". Except. Sounds like the first time you heard Psychocandy.

Best of 2009.

It is always the same old story: your band's picture appears on the cover of NME and your fifteen minutes of fame turn into twelve, or less. Was not a surprise the reluctance of critics and audiences in welcoming the b-film inspired aesthetic of The Horrors when they stormed London with their particular names and looks and those infamous short lasting shows; after all they had been hailed as the next big thing even before their record was released and counting only on short gigs and the buzz in town.

The Horrors self-titled debut EP was a guttural collection of garage rock that provided an interesting paving path for what was to come. Songs like Jack the ripper (a Screaming Lord Sutch's cover) and Sheena is a parasite put them on the music map.
For the follow-up they recruited producers Craig Silvey, Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Chris Cunningham. Gone were the outrageous outfits and the attention given to their outer form and in was the effort to giving birth to a signature, more elaborate sound.

Their new act is evident from the energetic, genially introduced Mirror's image. Three decades is a catchy tune with multiple layers of guitars and the omnipresent synth that keeps them loyal to their original noir theme. Who can say is the song that could open them doors to radio exposure in this side of the pond, a touch of 60's rock with a spoken line that delivers one of the most electrifying moments of the album. Sea within a sea is the longest track on the record clocking in at just under eight minutes and curiously the first single. It offers no original tricks: it is built on a sustained note (see multiple references to My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain) that never resolves into a climatic ending but provides the perfect exit to a startling record.

With a voice that reminds us sometimes of Ian Curtis and some others of a living zombie (isn't that what he is going for?)singer Faris Badwan manages to plunge confidently through forty-five minutes that beat all skepticism about the band's lasting quality. Primary Colours proves that The Horrors are a band beyond the makeup and the pages of the British pamphlets. A look at the first obvious clues, the new videos and the cover art, should be a hint.

They have achieved a cohesive sound without resorting to filling noise or yells; one can even understand the lyrics and enjoy the music without a flinch for the good reasons. They have admitted to the limitations of the genre they chose as a starting point and risked in turning it around for their benefit. Not to say that they have conquered yet but it is certainly a big step ahead and that is always a good thing.

The story of the new album from The Horrors seemed very familiar. A punk/garage rock band - with a history that teased of gothic artistry & morbid lyrical curiosities - take a sudden and experimental leap into dark maturity and produce a masterpiece that could be categorized as both "goth" and "psychedelic". The first two candidates for this scenario that come to my mind is TSOL with their no-longer-f-ng-the-dead Beneath The Shadows album from 1982 and The Black Album by The Damned which was released 2 years prior and obviously a direct influence on the former. Now, more than 25 years later, comes The Horrors who have barely the discography or the street cred to promote any type of Damned/TSOL-sized legacy.

Primary Colours had been my most reluctant record in 2009, however it has quickly turned into a daily listening necessity. I was hesitant due to the abrupt change in sound and style, but the record quickly grew on me like some sort of intergalactic flesh-eating moss that could drive an attention-grabbing storyline from The Outer Limits or Science Fiction Theater. It had only been a year since I had surveyed members of my local horror rock community to achieve a consensus on The Horrors first album. Not an entirely revolutionary concept, Strange House had a dark and perverse atmosphere that starred what could had been Misfit-zombies that were sent back in time 40 years ago and freed to roam the Earth to cause havoc - yet, instead, created fun danceable Farfisa-driven graveyard party rock.

Now, with Primary Colours, The Horrors have traded in superficial rock'n'roll points for tokens only given to the most NME-celebrated indie rock game-players. Such a currency exchange can only be possible when a band agrees to salvage their Sonics and Screaming Lord Sutch tributes and, in return, cover songs from Suicide while never hinting to the possibility that they might had just seen Kill Your Idols in some local art house theatre last year and warranted an immediate showcase of inspiration. So while songs like "I Can't Control Myself" and "I Only Think Of You" scream "Please compare us to someone important!", there has to be a "don't hate tha playa, hate tha game" philosophy implemented for any record reviewer who wishes to give Primary Colours fair justice. Still, how many times could a respected writer drop the names of "Joy Division" and "Jesus & Mary Chain" within a decades worth of reviews?!?

But what stuck with me is the unavoidable fact that Primary Colours is simply a better album than Strange House. Filled with haunting melodies that wrap around proto-emo rock lyrics ala Robert Smith ("Scarlet Fields" challenges you to "see yourself, your image in the eyes of someone else...your fears as they appear to someone else"), Primary Colours is a promising record for any hopeless romantic under the age of 30 who needs a soundtrack to embrace the lonely summer dusk hours. And if The Horrors are in need of legendary comparisons, than I will throw in one sure bet; the title track sounds like a cross between Beneath The Shadows era TSOL and anything off The Damned's Phantasmagoria.

'Primary Colours' should be up for album of the year. Almost as far away from 'Strange House' in music and in appearance, The Horrors have created a hauntingly brilliant album. With influences from their beloved Psychedelic music, The Birthday Party, The Velvet Underground, and others, the Horrors have taken their own view on the world and the music surrounding them. Completely original and I recommend this album to anyone who truly appreciates 'musician's music'.

Originally I purchased Primary Colors during the Amazon equivalent of browsing an old record store -- the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought..." listing. Notably, I had just purchased The Big Pink A Brief History of Love and A Place to Bury Strangers Exploding Head, and The Horrors had more than one in the list. A quick listen of the samples for Primary Colors was instantly gratifying. I bought it for the slow driving My Bloody Valentine similarity guitar riffs along with the accompanying 70's-80's sounding organ, both droning and beat producing in various songs. I stayed for the clear vocals, in my mind, not unlike TV21 Snakes & Ladders, Almost Complete: 1980-82 -- a long lost band of the 80's but on a come back (if you really like The Horrors, do yourself a favor and listen to Snakes and Ladders! TV21 also has a myspace site). Or the many bands Ian Broudie was part of... the 70's punk scene. The choppy beats might also remind listeners of early 80's Wire. These multiple similarities and references make The Horrors both familiar and, at the same time, brand new.

The way I listen to music is random. I let my CD player or ipod present familiar and unfamiliar music to me outside of the normal album format. Listening to music hours on end during the day or while driving is sometimes background, but when something catches my interest, I stop to listen. The Horrors produced this effect multiple times.... "hey what is this? I really like it!" Notably, "New Ice Age" with its electronic intro to (a term reviewer C. Poehler used here, that I am going to use...) ... "art punk". That describes much of this music--art being electronic, even ambient and progressive rock trappings, mixed with the rawness of punk. The first song on the album "Mirror's Image" is much like this, the ambience of electronics moving into a swirling Wire-like keyboard and vocals. "Three Decades" and "Do You Remember" has super hints of MBV on the droning swirls of tremolo guitars. The song "Primary Colors" reminds me of the poppy 80's along the lines of The Human League or the Thompson Twins.

Primary Colors is a fantastic album that has led me to move backwards and purchase the rest of The Horrors albums. While Primary Colors is certainly the best produced and consistent of the back catalog, I am being rewarded with some great music from Strange House.... In short, given all of the above references to a variety of styles and bands... if you like any or all of the mentioned bands you will find The Horrors both imbedded in your musical memories, and innovative enough to grease some new paths..... Just buy it!

I tried to resist this album, but it grew on me really fast. The guitar treatments are amazing. The syn sounds are wonderful. All swirling around the voice of Ian Curtis's long lost brother. MBV meets The synth sounds of Gary Numan. Love it!!

The track "Primary Colours' is remarkably like the Scottish band, Lowlife. This is the highest compliment I can give as they were - and are - sacred to me. Check out Diminuendo + Singles and Permanent Sleep Plus Rain for starters.
The cover is a nod to The Cure's classic Pornography [Deluxe Edition].

An instantly likable, rich and varied recording. Highly recommended.

upon hearing 'three decades' i was stopped in my tracks and knew i had to hear the rest of this album. this was the first Horrors i'd heard and i had no idea then how deep this album would go for me. the album works on two levels: instantly drawing you in but also there's something of a second phase where the songs bury themselves deep in your system and you might just wake up with certain bits and pieces stuck in your head (i had 'sea within a sea' looping around my mind for about a week straight) which is to say: this is one of the most complex yet direct albums of 2009 and very much so in a league of it's own. excellent songs, excellent sounds, and excellent production make this one a true Keeper.

These guys are fantastic musicians with an eclectic and obvious dark side. Great album, unusual beats....a bit experimental. All the while...that classic post-punk/goth rock dark romaticismn permeates the sound...great music. Get into it. For fans of Bauhaus, Joy Division, Jesus And The Mary Chain, and Love And Rockets.