There’s not many bands like Listener in this world. You could perhaps compare the swerving, blackened undertones of the band’s sound to mewithoutYou’s most recent effort, or even trace their blend of experimental rock and roll back to the band’s core influences, but the way in which they put their music together and execute it is truly unique
If you’re new to Listener, they’re a dark and intelligent twist on classic American rock and indie, led by a distinctive, fast paced and almost spoken word vocal. Their sound is an acquired taste if you’re used to slick pop punk choruses, but when it clicks, it really clicks.
‘Time Is A Machine’ bleeds the honest truth from every pore, and the band’s remarkable knack of making you turn inward on your own emotions is quite something. Smith’s vocal skips erratically and wonderfully across unanimously impressive instrumental work throughout, and there’s rarely a moment on the record that feels lazy or poorly put together.
Listener have always been able to make their craft sound effortless, and with this record they’ve managed to step up their game yet again from 2010’s ‘Wooden Heart’. Tracks like album opener ‘Eyes To The Ground For Change’ and ‘Not Today’ are nothing less than stunning, and the whole record feels natural and unpretentious from the word go.
Moments like ‘I Think It’s Called Survival’ manage to deliver a hard-hitting backing to Smith’s distressed spoken word without drowning it out (which is no mean feat), but the most impressive thing about it is that the band manage to eschew so many conventions whilst still being a gripping listen for even the most casual of listener. ‘There are wrecking balls inside us’ feels very much like the sound of the human condition, and as ‘Time Is A Machine’ closes with the outright depressing ‘It will all happen the way it should’, Listener have shown again that they’re one of the most interesting and exciting rock bands in the world right now.
This is a record to avoid at your peril, and a fine contender for the best of the year so far.
TOM AYLOTT