This is the second album from Manchester band Darktown Jubilee and it’s accomplished and mature. We did an internet search thingy and among their recent gigs was Knutsford Beer Festival. Honestly! Talentless no-hopers on television being milked by Simon Cowell on one hand and a talented band playing for tipsy Knutsfordonians on the other. Pah.
Anyway: if you like atmospheric indie rock that’s very well done, buy this. They’ve got some of the dark vibe of early Editors, mixed in with REM. If REM were goths, this is what they would sound like. Editors had a fine sound at their peak, all moody and dark, but it could get a bit much and Darktown Jubilee are more in the world of pop. The sound might be atmospheric but they have an ear for melody and ear grabbing, stadium filling tunes.
Opener (and single) Falling Down had us reaching for the goth lexicography to describe it; it would be at the commercial end of goth with its slick guitar riffs and melodic vocals. Pieces Of My Life changes tack, with a jerkier rhythm and falsetto vocals for the verses. London Waits opens with bass and the drummer tapping the side of drum and is where the music goes more REM, while Out of Control is a mix of Editors and Snow Patrol. The title track opens with a guitar lick The Edge would be pleased with.
While it has goth leanings, Darktown Jubilee have a commercial sound and play the kind of music that would get you dancing before going on a night out. Excellent.