Madina Lake are one of those bands you need to listen to at full volume in your car / bedroom / living room as you pretend to be a rock star for just one day! Granted I’m listening to Attics To Eden in my kitchen as I clean up before my flatmates come home, but I think it still has the desired effect!
I’d only really heard Pandora before this album landed on my desk and my friend Sam couldn’t get over how amazing they are, so clearly, I had to get in on the action, and what do I say except, wow!
The opening track Never Take Us Alive had me hooked from the first 30 seconds; the epic guitars are addictive, the huge, catchy chorus makes me prance around singing into my Mr Muscle much to the amusement of my neighbours who are smoking in their back garden.
Let‘s Get Our Of Here and Legends are as equally impressive and I wonder what the hell I’ve been doing listening to the likes of Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy this past week when some real music has been lying on my desk!
Singer Nathan’s voice is nothing short of phenomenal; I love it when you find a band that makes you melt from the word go, and usually for me their musical deliciousness means they lose something on the looks front - okay, so I know that’s just my taste and not an actual science, but what I’m trying to say is that the four pretties in Madina Lake are a delight to both the ears and eyes. Horrah!
Criminals explores the more ethereal and hypnotic side of these four guys from Chicago as the choruses make you want to dance around more like a sexy little minx rather than some mental cleaning person singing into the various household products… by this time I’d moved onto the hoover.
I love the way the softer side to Nathan‘s vocals are given a chance to shine during Through The Pain, and I’m also equally pleased to discover that even when the band are exploring different layers of sound throughout the album, not one ounce of quality is lost along the way.
I’d actually go as far to say that Through The Pain might just make it as a few boys and girls’ ‘our songs’ bleugh! Pass me the bucket… but it does give me little butterflies in my belly. But that might just be the overpowering smell of the bleach in the sink.
Never Walk Alone is a frantic three minutes of screeching guitars and smashing cymbols as drummer Dan Torelli who pushes the whole thing forward whilst Nathan passionately careers his way through the lyrics.
When Not For This World begins I seriously think that there is nothing more this band can do to impress me, but once again I’m proven wrong as the Nathan’s vocals prise their way down into the pit of my stomach before making my heart beat a little faster as they build up to the fast-paced chorus before serenading me with a couple of high notes thrown in for good measure towards the end.
Welcome To Oblivion has a far less ‘rock’ edge and sounds a little more pop-punk / simple plan-esque; which is a comparison that will probably piss most people off, but then again, I’m the one giving the opinion here okay? So, the guitar breakdowns during the final minute of two are what really make this song something special; I know I’m saying that about pretty much every song on here; but it’s the truth I’m afraid.
I don’t want to get into my annoyance for song titles here, as I‘m sure you‘re all well aware at my confusion towards Goldie Lookin Chain‘s Guns Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do claim…I mean, I haven‘t seen Eminem killing anyone recently, have you? But anyway, aside from another title that throws me, Silent Voices Kill returns to the band’s guitar led roots and it’s another three minutes of guitar hooks, drums to make your toes wiggle and vocals that have you dancing around like you’re a character in Grease. Well sort of
Statistics is thankfully not a musical maths lesson although trying to count the changes in pace throughout this one could be an interesting little task for you little budding Carol Vordermans out there. I can tell you from the bottom of my cleaning product filled heart, this song is once again, incomparable to any of the other 11 on the album; each one has it’s own style and reason to why it should appeal to my good self.
I love the story-telling idea of Friends And Lovers which is accompanied by a sound so light and floaty you could just drift away one a big cloud of cotton wool and forget all about the rubbish stuff that seems to be happening at the moment.
The opening to Lila, The Divine Game is nothing short of fascinating, yet it doesn’t actually seem to lead to anything, it’s just a comedown from the 11 songs that preceded it and I find myself wishing there was a greater finale to this album… but then again these boys have been working hard for the last 40 minutes, so they deserve a bit of a rest now.
One thing is for sure, whether you need a soundtrack to a road trip, are playing rock stars in your bedroom or need something to get you into the groove when doing this housework; this is it… and so, so, so very much more.
Forget every other band you’re loving right now, Madina Lake are the only one you need to be bothering about.
The guys will take over femaleFirst on Tuesday, so find out how you can get your hands on exclusive Madina Lake News here
And read our Madina Lake Interview here.
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