Tigers That Talked - The Merchant

Melodramatischen Indiepop britischer Bauart präsentieren uns Tigers That Talked auf ihrem Debütalbum "The Merchant". Heraus stechende Merkmale in ihrem Sound sind dabei die Violine von Glenna Larsen (die den ein oder anderen Arcade Fire-Vergleich ("Holy Saturday, Gloomy Sunday") herauf beschwört) und Jamie Williams eindringliche Stimme.
In Leeds haben die vier Musiker mit Bad Sneakers Records ein Label und ein zu Hause gefunden. Tigers That Talked haben in Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio 6) einen prominenten Fürsprecher (“My new favourite band [...] I’m waiting desperately for the Album”), und ich denke nicht, dass die Platte dessen Erwartungen nicht erfüllen konnte, auch wenn die zuvor veröffentlichten Singles "23 Fears" und "Artificial Clouds" qualitativ heraus ragen.

"23 Fears" Video

'The Merchant', their long-awaited debut record, finds them sounding like quite a few different bands, but when the sum of the album's parts is considered, they nearly always end up doing their own thing. The epic qualities that inform tracks such as recent single '23 Fears' and album centrepiece 'The Earth And The Urn' (the latter of which is referenced in the record's introduction) ensure that this record will find favour with stadium rock aficionados.

The group's folk-rock material is worthy of note, with 'Artificial Clouds' and 'Wrestling With The Wolfcubs' both boasting melodies that are impossible to shake after only a few listens.

However, it is when they step out of their comfort zone that Tigers That Talked truly excel. The gentle electronic beats that underpin the album's title track add an entire other dimension to the song, an affecting portrayal of an average life gone horribly wrong. 'Holy Saturday, Gloomy Sunday', meanwhile, is three songs in one, moving from an uptempo, handclap-laden pop song into a waltzing lament, and from there into a furiously fast, thunderous finish. It's quite the breathtaking song, and is without a doubt the highlight of an album that contains not one sub-par effort. These Tigers could be a roaring success with a debut like this.
(thisisfakediy.co.uk)

Ein Interview mit der Band kann man hier lesen. Bis zum 6. Dezember hat man noch Zeit, um "The Merchant" hier für kleines Geld (der Download für 4 Pfund) käuflich zu erwerben.

"Artificial Clouds" Video