Luminous
XL Recordings/Remote Control
To say that The Horrors have come a long way since their 2007 debut, Strange House, and all that big hair and goth make-up is putting it very mildly. Having become the darlings of the British music press, expectations were high for their fourth long-player after the success of Primary Colours and 2011’s Skying.
Luminous allays any fears that this album would be anything other than brilliant from opening track Chasing Shadows; a sprawling aural soundscape that channels early Kasabian with a unique Horrors twist. First Day Of Spring is a more direct track, conventional in many ways, but then again for any readers not familiar with the band, there isn’t much about The Horrors that is conventional. They push boundaries sonically, and meld genres together at will.
So Now You Know is an album standout, sounding more polished than most songs you’ll hear this year, yet at the same time managing to sound completely different to anything you’ve got on your iPod, too. Faris Badwan’s vocals are smooth and familiar and complement the cinematic musical approach of the track beautifully.
In And Out Of Sight again sees the band challenging their own sound, and unsurprisingly given how good this album is, to great effect. Jealous Sun pays homage to the progressive bands that have come before them with its more traditional rock feel.
Luminous is a tremendous record, one of those albums you hear and it reminds you just how exciting, liberating and altogether different music can still be.
ALEXANDER CROWDEN
