The Maccabees first album, Colour It In, saw the band put in to the ‘art rock’ box, with its hand-drawn cover, guitar-based melodies and lyrics about wave machines and enticing girls with leopard print duvets. Five years later their third album Given To The Wild has already been hailed as one of the best albums of 2012. But are the superlatives premature?
Given that the band wrote individually, each song slides into the next with a remarkable cohesion which gives the album a subtly crafted flow. Most of the songs stick to the same structure, building from restrained verses to swirling, syncopated climaxes, yet, some filler aside, many still remain distinctive. The floating shimmer of ‘Glimmer’ sharply contrasts with the insistent propulsion of ‘Unknown’. Meanwhile, the first single ‘Pelican’ combines rollicking, spiky guitar lines with lyrics about mortality and the ephemeral nature of life, its upbeat feel ironically revealing an underlying darkness.
Given To The Wild shows lyricist Orlando Weeks’ increased emotional maturity, as his fragile and world-weary vocals hark back to simpler days without the bitterness of unfulfilled dreams, dissatisfaction and the trickling away of time. On ‘Forever I’ve Known’ he repeatedly implores, ‘Can we still try? / Can you just lie?’, his voice almost quivering, reminiscent of Jeff Buckley at his most fraught.
The band spent three years making the album, and the time and effort is evident in its numerous layers, tight structures and cyclic melodies. But in this is the problem. While Given To The Wild is undoubtedly a mature, skilful and beautiful album, it just feels a little too manicured. Its ambition sometimes reaches soaring heights akin to Arcade Fire, but at other moments its feels like trite stadium rock of the Coldplay variety. In aiming for soundscapes that will gain critical accolades the band lose some of the raw energy and quirkiness of their earlier work. Ultimately, the album leaves you with more excitement about where The Maccabees will go next than about Given To The Wild itself.
