Album Review... Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon

The follow up to ‘Tourist History’ has to be one of the most anticipated albums of the year after sneaking a song or two into recent sets, it is finally here. Beacon is a “much more intimate album” according Alex Trimble and “much bigger” and I am inclined to agree.

Next Year:
The Northern Irish trio are well and truly back with a rollercoaster of Alex’s calming vocals to punchy synth. As the song births from trippy static it mellows out before breaking into a subtle chorus. As you begin to think they sound more laid back with their choir like vocals cutting through, you are thrown into a catchy as ever chorus before descending into handshake...
Out of 10: 7/10

Handshake:
As a crescendo of repetitive synth and underlying electro bass builds up, you find yourself dancing to the sound of the seemingly familiar thrilling high guitar melodies. Upbeat and sharp are words that come to mind during the almost anthem like chorus before you are whisked away to the trumpet oozing breakdown. You’ll be hoarsely yelling these in next summer’s festival haze.
Out of 10: 7/10

Wake Up:
Contrasting call and responses from Sam’s distinctive riff and the whole band at full throttle make for an interesting listen, the same trademarked guitar melodies are still shown but in a more progressive fashion. Although a rather simplistic track; a great one nevertheless.
Out of 10: 7/10

Sun:
A mesmerising ruff guitar tune outlines the track with more and more brass introduced as the track gains momentum to a delicate finish. Alex certainly shows a more emotional lyrical touch as he hinted the album would have.
Out of 10: 7/10

Someday:
The track hits you straight away with no gradually introduction of instruments. They hit the ground running and don’t stop; this is fully fledged indie rock anthem. Explosive strumming and constant shifts in atmosphere creates a rather intricate song with drums fading in and out with constant vocals. Only two door cinema club can create a tune less than four minutes long and still be as heart pumping.
Out of 10: 8/10



Sleep Alone:
A dreamy state is formed in the opening to their first single from beacon and is quickly transformed into upbeat choruses. Fascinatingly the bass line is played on the synth and creates a dance like vibe. It finishes dramatically with a roar, which is incredible live with blinding strobe and crashing drums. This may even become a set finisher over ‘I can talk’ and will certainly be drunkenly sung by many of you soon enough.
Out of 10: 8/10

The World Is Watching (With Valentina):
Classically building up instruments to the choir like chorus, seems rather subdued after tracks like someday. But this is certainly a differentiating song with a fresh relaxing feel. The enticing overlay harmonies of Valentina really are superb.
Out of 10: 6/10

Settle:
An ambiguous beginning to the song with the chiming of bells captivates you into a rather complex song. Contrasting to this is the chorus as the drums build up the tension to a furious encore of brass, smashing crash cymbals and thunderous chords. Personally I think this is one of the best songs on the album and sounds incredible on the second disk of the album (Live in Brixton).
Out of 10: 8/10

Spring:
Spring feels more simplistic than most tracks on the album and doesn’t quite feel as flamboyant as I would like. The awkward electronic indie sound that they are known for isn’t as prominent. Having said that Alex’s distinguished lyrics guide you through the gentle plucking to a build up at the end, I wish it had just carried on for a little while longer.
Out of 10: 6/10

Pyramid:
A ‘James Blake like’ introduction to the song is built with reverb, a ‘Steve Reich esque’ guitar riff and quirky samples of Alex’s voice. The song reminds me of mixture of ‘Foals’ and two door themselves as it builds up it shifts to the familiar sound of Alex leading the melody accompanied by scratchy guitar.
Out of 10: 7/10

Beacon:
As the name of the album it has a lot to live up to. I feel this track summarises the direction they are taking as a trio. It certainly is a lot less in your face but still provides rattling synth and an underlying guitar licks from Sam.
Out of 10: 7/10

Overall I feel this is a fantastic addition to tourist history and it grows on me each time I listen to it. Nothing is overworked and every track is a great listen, they have definitely progressed in song writing as a band. I would recommend seeing them live especially at festivals and after this album you can guarantee they’ll be back “for next year”. Consider it a worthy listen, a damn good one at that too.

Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon
Out of 10: 7/10

Written by - Thomas Bray

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Gig Review... Two Door Cinema Club, Metronomy, Tribes, Azealia Banks @ 02 Academy, Birmingham, 18th February 2012

This tour was a complete sell out for good reason. NME presents promising artists in a mini festival esque fashion, with Two Door Cinema Club headlining the evening. As well as headlining the tour they are heavily rumoured to be headlining the NME stage at this year’s Reading and Leeds Festivals. The queuing crowd were buzzing outside as Tourist History was blaring as you entered the O2 Academy.

Azealia Banks kicked off the evening and really got the crowd going. She waltzed around the stage with attitude singing hits such as ‘212’ and ‘Slow Hands’. The small intimate academy really exploded when she merged into her single ‘Fire starter’ from ‘212’. Although not to everyone’s taste I think she pulled off a slick set. After being named NME’s coolest person of 2011, I was not disappointed.

Shortly after, the London four piece, Tribes came on to stage with a blur of blue lights accompanying them. After playing a number of festivals last summer the crowd were eager for them to play their recently released debut album 'Baby'. The acoustics of the venue didn’t quite seem to match Tribes' tone. Feely rather underwhelmed with few songs that got the onlookers going, I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. They lacked confidence and the stage presence to impress, they seemed static and nervous.

Metronomy sent the crowd ballistic as electronic riffs of ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘Everything goes my way’ filled the air. They jumped around stage with round glowing lights hanging of their top buttoned shirts as the crowd jumped around equally as much. This was more like it. They pumped slick tune after tune from ‘The English Riviera’. Their experimental and somewhat quirky sound resonated around the O2 with sub-bass making you quiver as well as perfectly mixed vocals. Their sound seemed to be reminiscent of early Crystal Castles; it was polished and expertly pulled off. I highly recommend them live. Definitely keep an eye on them in the future.

Finally the act the whole crowd had been waiting for. ‘Cigarettes in the theatre’ got the crowd singing along as Two Door Cinema Club materialized on stage. The entire audience started jumping around (how could you not?) and forming mosh pits everywhere imaginable. Electronic upbeat rhythms followed as the venue pulsated. Alex was overwhelmed by every lyric being sang by each and every audience member. The crowd were mesmerized by the tracks that followed from ‘Something Good Can Work’ and ‘Eat That Up, It’s Good For You’. They sneaked in some fresh material from their upcoming album which seemed as explosive as the last with hint more maturity. I can’t wait for them to finish in the studio. They finished the excellent night off with an encore consisting of ‘Come Back Home’ followed by ‘I Can Talk’. A definite highlight of the night was made when lyrics of ‘I Can Talk’ flashed up on golden light display surrounding the stage. The crowd were enthused and needed no prompting to chant the backing vocals. This simple but effective bit of lighting left all those involved on a high as everyone dispersed.

Written by - Tom Bray

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