An exceptional eighth for the Chicago-based rockers
It's hard to resist initially pigeonholing these American rockers into the 'retro rock' bracket. Must... resist... These Chicago natives have captured something slightly more than that with their eighth studio album since 2000. It will make you wonder how you missed the others, because they are nowhere near as well recognised in the UK as they should be.
'Robbery (Shocking Love)' is a laid-back jaunt through an amalgam of Americana influences, sporting an almost live, fuzzy-around-the-edges vibe and smart yet simple lyrics. The whole album fuses together in swirls of organ and piano. One minute they're belting out toe-tapping retro-pop with addictively overdriven guitar licks such as 'Guilty Good Intentions', the next it's dark piano solo 'La Revanche'. There is even a progressive touch on 'Architect' and garage rock with 'Mumbling Girl'.
Wearing their gritty rock and roll aesthetic on their well presented record sleeves (woo! Free poster!), they slip easily through hard-edged pop to soul-drenched riffage to chilled out balladry. And there's enough space in each song to allow for tweaking and ad-libbing for live performances, which is always a bonus, especially when it's so full of multi-layered instrumentation. It screams to be played live. A personal favourite is the bouncy 'Gray Area', with its cheeky singalong vibe and heavy beats, as is the sweetly chilled acoustic 'Early Riser', with its homely, lived-in feel.
I love the fact that these boys don't skimp on material. 14 high-quality brand-spanking-new recordings is more than some bands put out in three albums. Strangely familiar but continually exciting, it balances old and new with precision. It's not perfect ; pop-oriented listeners might feel frustrated by its length and relaxed song structure. These guys take their well deserved place amongst future cult-classic bands such as former tourmates The Black Keys.