Skying

The Horrors | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 9, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: XL Recordings
• ASIN: B0050I2P32
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,777 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Southend England's The Horrors present their third studio album. After releasing their sophomore album, Primary Colours (produced by Portishead's Geoff Barrow), in May 2009, NME made it a point to ask, "Is The Horrors' Primary Colours The Most Remarkable Second Album Reinvention Ever?" It seems so judging from the critical reaction and adoring fans who came out in droves to see The Horrors on tour throughout 2009 - both headlining and supporting The Kills and Nine Inch Nails.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moves beyond Primary Colours in tones of shifting blacklit rainbow mystery, August 11, 2011

By 

Storylover (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Skying (Audio CD)

The Horror's latest album is a delight, full of 80's synths and modern electronics, drenched in guitars and post punk attitude. The vocals are reminiscent of some of the best of the 80's--Psychedelic Furs, Simple Minds; Faris Badwan sings with a slightly husky baritone dripping with "cooler than thou" attitude. And you know what? It's not posing if you can back it up. This is simply a cool album--melodic without being overly poppy, mysterious without being precious, wondrous without being ridiculously overproduced. I'm not sure how they arrived in this particular direction, with My Bloody Valentine, New Order (a la Love Vigilantes) and Psychedelic Furs mixed up into a New Romantic Post Punk Indie magic record, but I'm glad they did. I like this record a lot, and will be recommending it unreservedly to fans of any of the above groups, as well as folks who like Interpol, Echo and the Bunnymen, and similar groups. Check it out.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New album from The Horrors - love it!, August 9, 2011

By 

Stacey Lee Flowerdew (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Skying (MP3 Download)

I had a feeling I needed this album the very morning it was released.

I just finished listening to Skying for the first time and I love it. It's as though the promise of The Horror's previous album, Primary Colours, has been delivered. Primary Colours was initially a difficult album for me to get into because it was such a departure from the raw in-your-face, we-don't-care-what-you-think punk attitude of Strange House, their debut album. Primary Colours wasn't a bad album at all- quite good actually- it was just unexpected. I was momentarily hampered by my own expectations of what The Horrors sound like, so I didn't expect The Horrors to produce something so polished, so mature.

Skying continues this high level of production and it's a force to be recognized. It starts out dreamy but with a progressive pace and seamlessly flows through each new song, spinning a hypnotic halcyon aural tale from beginning to end. Reminiscent of good English rock from the 80s when Britannia ruled the FM airwaves and MTV, Skying not only delivers but brings me to a very happy, serene place.

Expect this album to end up on many "Best of 2011" lists at the end of the year.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Horrors - The year of the synth, August 19, 2011

By 

Red on Black (Cardiff) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Skying (Audio CD)

It was John Peel who once complained about too many "white boys with guitars" in indie music and it has to be said that this pointed taunt could have been accurately aimed at the Horrors whose claim to fame was largely being the best set of Goth haircuts on offer and little else. As such it was refreshing to hear the massive step change that was their last album "Primary Colours" which saw them cut loose and prove that the style did not have to triumph over the substance, They picked up influences from German bands like Can and Neu and turned out big songs not least the epic "Sea within a sea". That said while "Primary Colours" was a really good album it still had "issues" as the band struggled to find its true identity with songs like "I can't control myself" actually sounding like a bunch of Suede impersonators on Karaoke night. The logical step for the band was therefore to deepen further the themes of "Sea within a sea" and produce a more darkly inspired album of 80s style synth pop with hooks big enough to catch a whale and with cool panache to spare. Indeed they do this so successfully that on the third track on this new album "I can see through you starts" you expect Phil Oakley from the Human League to sing out just before it mutates into something altogether more sinister.

There is little doubt that some of the more purist Horrors fans may recoil and find this album a tad to commercial. "Endless Blue" for example is all lovely slabs of almost Miles Davis trumpet sounding synths until mid way through it breaks into a huge guitar riff not heard since Jesus and Mary Chain ruled the earth. And that is the point about "Skying" namely that the Horrors are a cunningly intelligent band able to subvert and deconstruct their own songs regularly avoiding the quiet of the harbour for the rough of the seas. More than that unlike "Primary colours" the quality dial hardly dips while at the same time the sort of arrogant swagger that you expect of a band hitting its prime is evidenced by the truckload. The great opener "Changing the rain" starts off sounding like a dance version of Kraftwerk and we are finally forced to face the reality that Faris Badwan has actually got a great singing voice. The forthcoming single "Still life" cries out to be a hit building from (dare I say it!) an Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark style riff to a thumping great pop song. Above all others it is "Wide eyed" which is the song that grabs you by the lapels and demands your attention. An atmospheric vocal over swaths of synths which echoes the great themes of David Bowie's "Low". Even more surprisingly it is a very sumptuous song with huge melodies and a concluding trumpet fade out. The only real nod to the Horrors of old is "Monica Gems" which is the weakest track on "Skying" not least since it does feel a little out of place with Faris Badwan again doing his best Brett Anderson impression. To be fair they set this misstep straight on the final track the seven minute plus "Oceans Burning" a giant swirling psychedelic ballad with a haunting backdrop which is packed full of so many ideas that the opposition must be seriously worried quite how good this band have become. To hammer the point home all this is confirmed a couple of tracks before with the albums big eight minute synth workout "Moving further away" which will become a staple of their live act to sit alongside "The Sea" with a keyboard riff so relentless you should be allowed to invoke anti-stalking legislation. "Skying" then is an great album that fully delivers on the huge promise of "Primary Colours" and on its evidence it is only a matter of time before the Horrors move out of the John Peel tent and head to the headline stage of Glastonbury.