The Enemy Chorus by: Justin Pearsall Tue:03-Apr-07 Label: Secretly Canadian Year: 2007 WB rating 69 out of 100

These Were The Earlies was a splendidly well executed affair. A blend of sound that touched upon the best elements of ‘60’s pop and modern influences like The Flaming Lips and The Eels, the Earlies deserved the critical back-slapping that surrounded this 2004 debut.

On The Enemy Chorus, the band has made a brave face, refusing to consolidate on their previous work. Instead they have spent time renovating and remodelling via electro-infusions, a newfound darker edge and a reliance on rhythm rather than ambience. It’s not a total abandonment of the past – the band’s thick harmonies and exquisite production are retained – but a back-to-back run through of these two albums reveals The Enemy Chorus as the release that is less a product of its influences, and more a step towards the unknown.

The accentuation of the band’s new sound is both obvious and immediately evident. ‘No Love In Your Heart’ removes the Earlies from the a Capella introduction of the debut and kicks the listener firmly into the centre of the dance floor. There is a distinctively !!! feel radiating from this album – albeit with the retained psychedelia; the record opener builds around a heavy, looping synth-riff, which does not change, but permeates; coloured by different soundscapes. The final mutation of the song is a slew of rising horns, organs and vocals that swell and overlap. The Earlies are confronting the ‘Sophomore Slump’ head on.

‘Burn The Liars’ continues at break-neck speed. The off-kilter piano refrain of the song makes way for electro-riffs, in-your-face harmonies and strange descending noises. A whole world of interplaying sounds and changing structures are jammed into this three-minute-and-under ball of energy. After a few listens the unconventional becomes memorable; ‘Burn The Liars’ being one of the highpoints of The Enemy Chorus.

While the pace of the album relents on track three, the marked sound departure is still present. The weighty hip-hop-esque drums of the title track underlie a droning bass and exotic instrumentation – the sound of which creates a mood reminiscent of The Beatles ‘Within You Without You’. Although these layers lift the song above its stagnant, lagging tempo, the track is little more than a wash of mediocrity, lacking the strong melody needed to captivate.

The opening five songs on The Enemy Chorus are certainly diverse. Stylistically, there is little to tie them together, but consistent production and the atypical arrangements unify the tracks as part of a bigger body of work. It is only as we reach ‘Bad Is As Bad Does’ where the grand scope of these arrangements begins to sound like a way of disguising average melodies. The Earlies always manage to conjure some redeeming feature or unforeseen change – on ‘Bad Is As Bad Does’ it is the swirling ending which is one of the album’s highlights – that saves this album from complete lethargy. But the combinatory effect of these swirling noises is the subservience of the melody; the bleeps and groans, the moody whispers, the abstract noises dominate rather than accentuate the lead vocal.

‘Foundation And Earth’ is the best answer to this concern. Revelling in its positive sound, the funky rhythm and natural feel of horns harmonising replace the earlier electronica that at times caused confusion to reign. ‘Foundations And Earth’ is the best track on The Enemy Chorus, simply because it is positive, melody-rich pop in which the Earlies excel. The presence of tripped-out, Space Invader noises and random typewriter foolery; all unable to distract from when the Earlies get their melodies right.

No-one can doubt the genuineness or ingenuity of The Enemy Chorus. The band has stepped out, taking their pristine sound and attention to detail and rammed it into a multitude of styles and shadowy domains. For taking such artistic risks on a sophomore release, the Earlies should be applauded.

But in the creation of this new monster, the band has traded grand melodies for dense arrangements; an exchange mostly to the album’s detriment. The sheer talent of the Earlies ensures that The Enemy Chorus remains a worthy listen, but it is not the truly palatable blend of innovation and pop melody the band hoped to achieve. Rather, it is a band playing to their weaknesses rather than their strengths.