Wolf Tone 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: This Oxford-hailing troupe made considerable global headway with 'Zaba', their debut album of two years ago, yet that record's sumptuous tropicalia now appears little more than a precursor to this still more ambitious and far-reaching record, which rather than venturing into unchartered territory twists the everyday to its own designs. Amidst this heat-haze of colourful musical invention and elasticated groove, singer David Bayley excels in essaying vivid lyrical insights and warped character studies, resulting in slick yet eccentric soundscapes as likely to appeal to fans of the no-limits showmanship of Kanye West as the genteel indie of Wild Beasts.

Review: According to news stories when this EP was first announced, The Horrors' own frontman Faris Badwan describes the band's new song, 'Against the Blade', as a "further descent into chaos". A track about giving up hope, abandoning control, and coming to terms with the eternal human position of facing off against the world, rather than actually being part of it.

Listening to the tune now it's easy to buy into that description. The band have always had an uncanny ability to terrify and enthral, and this is a prime example of that. Opening with a searing refrain-cum-wasp-in-jar-noise, we soon explode into a monster metal riff with solid funk undertow, making for a tune that's destined to be a live favourite. Over the other side, 'Twisted Skin' sticks with the industrial-leaning feel.