Wild Beasts - 'The Devil's Crayon'
Emerging from their lair deep in the untamed wilderness of the Lake District (Kendal to be precise), Wild Beasts are a band on the up, their debut ‘Limbo, Panto’ being one of the most refreshingly original albums from an English group in years.
Single ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ showcases why, interlocking guitar ostinatos glistening above bassist Tom Fleming’s laid back groove, Fleming also taking the lead over Hayden Thorpe on vocals, his vibrant tenor ringing out in gorgeously reverberating yowls.
Thorpe takes back the reins though on b-side ‘Treacle Tin’, his sharp falsetto sailing high above a sleek compound beat reminiscent of a high-school dance number from the 1950s, before dropping into a crouching snarl accompanied by a suitably dissonant set of chords bashed out on the piano.
Wild Beasts are on to a good thing, producing captivating pop-rock that is both brilliantly polished and distinctly fresh. Go and listen to ‘The Devil’s Crayon’. Now.