Metronomy ‘The English Riviera’ // First Listen

Metronomy
‘The English Riviera’
(Because)

After the bleary-eyed paean to debauchery that was ‘Nights Out’ in 2008, Metronomy have done some changing. New band members (drummer Anna Prior and bassist Gbenga Adelekan) were introduced after Gabriel Stebbing’s departure, and a new album has been recorded, but what does it sound like? Ben Homewood donned his jazz shoes to follow Joe Mount and the gang to the disco…

‘The English Riviera’
If this is the disco then we’ve had one too many disco biscuits (the man said they were Party Rings…). Seagulls chirp and waves lap against the shore as sun-dappled strings ebb and flow with the tide. Is this building towards something beautiful? It’s only 37 seconds long so there’s not much time to make up your mind before…

‘We Broke Free’
Too late, the strings have already segued effortlessly into track two. A hint of bass and a lilting guitar line and Joe’s back, “get yourself fixed up/I’ll take you out round town/I swear you’ll never witness anything quite as fine,” he sings, as we strap ourselves in. His vocal is pitched high and wonderfully mournful as ever, “Stood on this hill/I used to think of you and that one day we’d get together,” is the line as sweeping electronics wash over shimmering drum rolls. It loops around and around before a crunchy guitar solo and some twinkling keys caress one another as it edges to a close.

‘Everything Goes My Way’
Bubbling synths whirr into life then give way to Caribbean drums and bass. What’s that between our toes? Why it’s glorious golden sand. Anna Prior’s vocal and the backing “ooh ooh oohs” to and fro like a sleeping beauty in a hammock, it might sound like The Research (remember them?), but this is easily as refreshing as a six-pack of Lilt. “Love, I’m in love agaaaaaiiinn,” coos Anna as a remarkably laid-back number floats to a close.

‘The Look’
Yet more keys of the variety that get stuck well and truly in your head act as an intro to the fastest drum beat so far. Are things about to get wild? As the track unfolds it becomes an exercise in restraint, calmly flitting between meticulously calculated sonic progression (everything fits together like musical Tetris), and some of the girly echo-laden vocals fans of ‘Nights Out’ will know and love. Maybe they found a parrot on the beach during the last song. The restraint becomes ever more frustrating as the tempo picks up, turning the song into 1980s-indebted mid-tempo floor filler. Jazz hands!

‘She Wants’
The bass at the beginning shares an intimidating quality with Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and you wonder where this is going to go. Then a sound not unlike the ominous growl of a video game baddy judders against the guitars and Joe’s vocal. He’s singing about someone who’s asleep, telling her he’ll “call the shots ‘til you wake up.” Scary stuff. The weirdness of the lyrics is exacerbated by the fearsome gaps in sound, more of the video game monsters and ominous bass, this one walks the tightrope between lullaby and nightmare.

‘Trouble’
The atmosphere has definitely changed. A delicately strummed intro that doesn’t want to end eventually leads into a fairground waltz. A grey cloud is looming as Joe’s lyrics illustrate. “I don’t wanna go out/you don’t wanna stay in/I guess we’re gonna argue again,” he croons, why does Joe get hurt so? The guitar morphs into an ambient jangle as first a Kraftwerk style robotic vocal offers apologies, then a reverb-heavy Anna murmurs indecipherable sweet nothings. It’s beautifully miserable (if that makes sense) and Metronomy are all shook up.

‘The Bay’
This shares the sticky-floored closing time emptiness of some of the more introverted moments on ‘Nights Out’. The familiar vocals and escapism of predecessor ‘Holiday’ are present and correct for the first time. “If you want to go/I’ll take you back one day,” Joseph Mount is telling us where we’re not (London, Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong, Tokyo if you’re keeping score). Where are we then? Well, plodding happily through a subtly dance-tastic tune remembering that no one does quiet euphoria quite like Metronomy.

‘Loving Arm’
Maintaining the dark edge picked up a few tracks previous; this is the most intricate moment so far. Twinkly clicks and bewildering bleeps creep behind shards of icy keys and Joe’s vocal. Did we mention the tropical drums buried deep underneath? This truly is a giant game of sonic Tetris. You’ll hear things you can’t quite identify, brass and bass collide and Joe repeats “her baby’s got the…” repeatedly leaving the line unfinished as the song draws to a close he finishes it, “loving arm.” A beautifully constructed three and a half minutes.

‘Corinne’
Poor old Joe’s down in the dumps again. “Oh Corinne/I’ve got a pain in my heart/I think it’s because of you,” he says over metronomic (geddit?) drums as keys and machinery kick in. Another glorious vocal web of echoes, call and response (Anna Prior’s voice is given plenty of space to shine) and mournful lyrics is quickly constructed. Anna sings “She just wants to dance all the time,” as more Nintendo noise and sweeping bass give her the chance to do just that.

‘Some Written’
Joe’s vocal is a reverb-heavy whisper now, filling the gaps in a warped musical landscape that sounds like a broken arcade game on Valentines Day, loved up bleeps and wonky noises multiply before the pied piper of the funfair drops a penny whistle to die for. This is romance, Metronomy style. It winds down slowly as the drums crash seductively and, wait, is that a kazoo?

‘Love Underlined’
More crazy synths to soothe a spinning head. This intro combines Mount’s unique perkiness with the steely motorik of Neu! The lyrics nod to US R&B singers Tweet and Jill Scott (us neither). Overlapping vocals and jack in the box effects combine as the pace quickens and Metronomy find their groove yet again. Another languid dance track, this is woozily self-aware, stitching together vocals, melody and a healthy dose of electronic wizardry seamlessly. This song not only finds a way under your skin, but locates a vein and courses into your bloodstream before stopping, suddenly, with a final flourish of guitar. Or is it keyboard? Your brain may or may not be able to differentiate after these eleven songs.