THE WOMBATS PROUDLY PRESENT: THIS MODERN GLITCH - ALBUM REVIEW
This Modern Glitch is the second album by British indie-pop band The Wombats, who formed in Liverpool after the band members met back in 2003. This energetic three piece made up of Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis and Tord Overland-Knudsen are signed to both 14th Floor Records and Roadrunner Records (US). Despite having faced some trials and tribulations since the release of their debut album 'A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation', the band are now thankfully back on track and stronger than ever.
Our Perfect Disease opens up the album and wastes no time jumping straight into a steady melodic beat, accompanied by tight vocals and pounding drums. Creating an almost instant energetic feel this opener succeeds on all levels providing a catchy chorus, memorable riffs and acts as an overall danceable release. Whilst Tokyo – Vampires & Wolves happily follows suit, being the first single from this album released back in 2010, it is easy to see that this track focuses on intense synth beats and rhythmic elements allowing it to stand out easily from the rest of the album.
Jump Into The Fog is the second single from This Modern Glitch and was released in January 2011 peaking at no.35 on the UK Singles Chart. This track is more vocally focused as the prominent dance-vibe direction takes a back seat to accommodate a darker sound, straying away from their usual indie classics. Whereas Anti-D, the albums third single incorporates a rather bizarre string intro, alongside hard hitting lyrics referring to the frontman's tale of addiction, showing it's true meaning of bitterness and destruction.
Both Last Night I Dreamt and Techno Fan slowly rebuild the pace of the album incorporating sing-along choruses, and dance like attributes with comforting “ooh's” and “da da da's” being particularly prominent in the alternative-pop track Techno Fan. 1996 goes on to proceed with a simplistic beat but adds a powerful chorus to help make up for it, and after several listens it has become one of my favourites from this record.
Another favourite of mine is Walking Disasters as the strong drum beat will you draw you in, and have you tapping your foot from the get go. The guitar riffs in this track I believe are probably the strongest on the album and the hints of electronic beats are an added bonus. However Girls / Fast Cars follows, and happens to be my least favourite on the album. With a promising start I expected a lot from this track but I found that it drifted off into nothing spectacular.
And finally, closing the album is Schumacher The Champagne. Whilst throwing a decent send off to the album as a whole I can't help but feel it's missing one or two key aspects to help make this final track all the more captivating.
Overall, after a long awaited release I believe that The Wombats have in fact done themselves justice with this album. With a more mature sound and upbeat tracks I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this release and I expect it will continue to hold a strong presence within my iTunes for the next couple of weeks.
Rating: 8/10
Recommended Tracks: Walking Disasters / 1996 / Our perfect Disease