++ALBUM++ review by Abigail Outhwaite
Abigail Outhwaite finds that the hotly anticipated Metronomy LP is both a electro revelation - and a bit of a bummer. Read on to find out how their party nearly gets started...
Nights Out signifies Metronomy's first vocal-led release, and their first album introducing the band as a trio, with longstanding live cohorts Gabriel Stebbing and Oscar Cash stepping up as full members alongside brainchild Joseph Mount.
Singles ‘My Heart Rate Rapid’ and ‘Heartbreaker’ both present a pleasant and revealing insight into Mount's vocal capabilities - and both are easily the record's most striking tracks, bolstering the claim that the album's ‘all killer, no filler’ manifesto is surprisingly well upheld.
"the sound effectively reflects the sensation of trying - and failing - to get into a night out..."
‘On Dancefloors’, which, while oddly tinged with classic rock guitar, sounds like the inevitable end of a night, and the feverish "Back On the Motorway", deliver to a similarly high standard. The album, the band proclaim, is an attempt at a "soundtrack to a bad weekend", and this concept remains evident throughout; the quirky, lively melodies are delivered at arms length - the overall sound effectively reflects the sensation of trying and failing to get into a night out.
Why this makes for good listening is a mystery, but nevertheless it does. Needless to say, closing track "Nights Outro" wraps up the theme especially well; almost entirely acoustic except for a fuzzy white noise, it channels an end-of-the-club sensation that almost leaves you craving a kebab.
On the whole, Nights Out is a well-rounded record that creeps up on you with its catchy lo-fi electro pop. With a range of Eastern folk and classic rock influences, it manages to go that little bit further - to provide an intelligent electronic listening.
++ Abigail Outhwaite ++
Artrocker rating: 3
