Apr 30 2009 3:49 pm,
The Maccabees
‘Wall Of Arms’
(Fiction)
Alt.pop’s favourite sons left the indie cognoscenti with their skinnies in a twist when they returned with the sinister, brooding ‘No Kind Words’ in February, but anyone taking it for a radical change in their sound is mistaken. The cutesy ditties about swimming pools and drunken encounters are gone, but ‘Can You Give It’ and ‘Dinosaurs’ prove The Maccabees are ever kings of the gargantuan chorus. Orlando Weeks’ lyrics remain sugary, but appear wistful, with ‘Love You Better’’s declaration ‘running out of town’s gonna cost you more than a sweet smile’, whilst the title-track coos about family support, or ‘they who are my army’. Tight and cohesive, a solid avowal of love and commitment: ‘Wall Of Arms’ proves The Maccabees are with us for the long term.
Sophie Thomsett
