Bizarre. I think that kind of sums up how I feel about ‘Lover, The Lord Has Left Us’. The Sound of Animals Fighting are a kind of super group, featuring members of Finch, Rx Bandits and Circa Survive, yet they sound nothing like any of their former acts. With a massive dose of ‘Kid A’-era Radiohead and an unhealthy obsession with an Aphex Twin-esque electronica sound, TSOAF are a little unnerving and unsettling at times, swiftly veering away from any kind of predictable notion you may think you’re going to hear.
There’s absolutely no doubt about the talent on display here – it’s overwhelming at times just how well this record has been thought out – yet at the same time some tracks are unlistenable as they disappear so far up their own arse into the land of pretentiousness. ‘Horses In The Sky’ is such a belter of a tune though, and in a sense it’s worth checking this record out simply for that track. But the madness laid out on this disc is akin to the crazy Professor in Back to the Future – experimenting is all well and good, but it’s bound to backfire at some point. And sadly, for all its good ideas, ‘Lover, The Lord Has Left Us’ doesn’t fit all that well as an album.
It’s difficult to describe just how it doesn’t sit so well with me, mainly because the album itself is difficult to pigeonhole. But I get the feeling that in a bid to be different and experimental, at times the band have neglected the cohesion and flow of the album, as well as some of the songs themselves. A good idea, well executed…but it doesn’t always work.
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Paul