If, like me, you’re late to catch on to the wonderfulness of THE ATTIKA STATE, ‘Measures’ makes a spectacular first impression. Sinfully catchy, seriously intricate but ballsy enough to win over even the heaviest of punk purists, you might want to hold fire on that ‘Best Albums Of 2010’ list until you’ve given this one a spin.
From the proverbial party starter that is ‘5 Strings, No Wins’, The Attika State make absolutely no attempt to sell themselves short. Rudi Barella’s dramatic vocals suck you in through a net of piano tinkles, into a chorus that delivers on every pop-rock fantasy one could dream up. ‘The Horton Shuffle’ and ‘Celebration!’ follow in much the same fashion, delivering a triple-hitter of pounding anthems as a credible statement of the band’s intentions.
As the album continues, one things becomes abundantly apparent: there is nothing subtle about ‘Measures’. Nothing whatsoever. If you’re expecting melodies hidden behind some form of musical ambiguity, there’s none of that here. The vocal hooks are huge and the rhythms were clearly intended to get you off your arse and get you moving. ‘Storytellers Fold’ has possibly one of the best breaks in the history of music ever and it’s not hard to imagine entire arenas screaming along to the choruses of ‘Recycle’ and ‘Sounds Of The Stereo‘. Even when showing their softer side in ‘The Spirits of Yesteryear’, the hooks are worthy of some serious lighter-in-the-air action.
From start to finish, ‘Measures’ is a cracking album. It’s an album made for singalongs with friends and beer and dancing and happiness. Put simply, it’s a fucking party and it looks like we’re all invited.