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Elly Roberts reviews
Parlophone
- Released: January 2005
- Rating: 8/10
- Cat.no.: 5607402 (CD only) / 5637040 (CD + DVD)
Second album release for Deptford quartet Athlete.
The single Wires is getting steady airplay rotation by BBC Radio 2sA-list,with Radio 1 elevating it to B-list, while XFM keeps it on the A-list.
All this bodes well for Joel Pott (guitar/vocals), Carey Willets (bass/vocals),Tim Wanstall (keys/vocals) and Stephen Roberts (drums/vocals). The rest ofthe album is excellent and should not be overlooked at any cost. If mellow isyour bag then youll love this to bits.
Vehicles And Animals, their debut album brought much critical acclaimwith a Mercury shortlist nomination in 2002, spawning six top 50 singles.It was quirky pop at its best, but this is a very different affair. Much considerationabout a change, with superb songs, arrangements and production. The band lookedoutwards at their favourite bands and writers like Neil Young, Flaming Lipsand Beck and turned the experience on its head.
The quirkiness is more subtle this time around, with some odd instrumentationpopping up here and there. Beautiful melodies and harmonies show a greatermaturity and richness way beyond its predecessor, taking the band the a higherlevel than possibly expected. Songs about touring, missing people andrelationships never sounded so good.
It all makes for a wonderful chill-out album – with the odd bit of drama.
Keanes Hope and Fears bored me, Coldplay are good but predicatble Athlete do it with the right balance its clever stuff.
Highpoints: the glorious opener Chances complete with rousing stringsand crescendo, and lovely touches on Half Light and a haunting Street Map.
This album sounds good,and feels even better after a few listens. Top CD !
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Chances
2. Half Light
3. Tourist
4. Trading Air
5. Wires
6. If I Found Out 7. Yesterday Threw Everything At Me
8. Street Map
9. Modern Mafia
10. Twenty Four Hours
11. I Love
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.