Beyond the Neighbourhood

I say one small fault but it isn't worthy of deducting any stars. This is an amazing album by a band on top of their game. Quite why there is so much indecision on this album I do not know, what I do know is that with all Athlete albums they tend to be slow burning and perseverance plays a big part in whether you actually are going to like it or not. Believe me if you give it a few listens you will be hooked. It's an immense piece of work that deserves better than some of the nasty reviews posted not only on this page, but also in the "respected" music journals.

I'm not going to take the easy route and just list the songs with a mini review beside each of them. This album isn't that simple. It's an album that needs to be played all the way through to really appreciate just what the band are trying to achieve. Do this and you will be rewarded, it's guaranteed.

In Between 2 States opens the album in relatively low key fashion, mixing experimental bits and pieces with a pleasant melody. It's a taste of what is to follow and leads nicely into Hurricane which to me stands out as the only real single on the whole album. Ash may be swaying towards single releases only, but on the evidence of this album Athlete are going the other way. This isn't the small fault by the way.

Tokyo comes and goes in a upbeat kind of way but it is then the album really takes off with the triple salvo of Airport Disco, It's Not Your Fault and The Outsiders. The Outsiders is an outstanding song, vocally perfect with a gorgeous melody, it is testimony to the final song on the album that The Outsiders only manages to be 2nd best song on the album.

Now here comes the small fault. I just find that the track order falls down somewhat from the stunning end to The Outsiders, the quiet and atmospheric Flying Over Bus Stops and the intro to Second Hand Stores. This isn't to say that Flying Over Bus Stops isn't a good song because it is, but I just feel this part of the album is too quiet. Don't ask me for an alternative track running order because I still haven't worked it out, but its a small fault which detracts from the overall album only sightly.

The good thing is that as soon as Second Hand Stores kicks in the album reaches even greater heights, and the final four songs to me are classic Athlete. Both Second Hand Stores and In The Library are gems, leaving the listener feeling justified for sticking with the album during the quieter moments earlier. These two songs along with Hurricane and Tokyo are as "loud" as the album gets, and I suppose at a push both could be potential singles. Personally Second Hand Stores just pips In The Library but its a close run thing.

And so to the final two songs which in my opinion are two of the three best tracks on the album.

It has been well documented that Best Not To Think About It relates to 9/11 and the band handle an obviously difficult subject with respect. It is a great song, starting very quietly before building up to a emotional chorus. It's not a single, but I don't expect anybody thinks it will be.

And finally we hit the pinnacle, the ace up the sleeve, the reason why everybody should own and cherish a copy of this album. This Is What I Sound Like is the best song Athlete have written, it really is that simple. Thats not doing a dis-service to all the other great tracks on this album and on previous releases, but sometimes you just have to sit back and admire greatness. When I first heard the song I had goosebumps. Even now probably about 20 or 30 times of listening to it I still have goosebumps. Initially I thought the album was going to end with just piano and voice, but I was wrong. The melody in this song is absolutely top notch and the vocals just stunning. How on earth the band are ever going to top this I do not know!!!

An outstanding end to an amazing album which will surely go down as one of the best albums of 2007.

S

I own both of Athlete's previous two albums and can safely say this one is their best so far.

On first listen, Athlete's third studio album may initially appear a reasonably straight forward continuation of their previous effort, Tourist. But first impressions can often be misleading, and pleasingly, after just a few listens to Beyond The Neighbourhood that old adage proves as true here as ever. Once you've become accustomed to its sound, its structure and its nagging hooks, this is a record that reveals itself to be much more than just a regurgitation of the bands previous platinum selling success.

Although this is not by any means a full return to their belated Brit-pop roots, some of the inspired quirkiness and shape-shifting songs which were the hallmark of 2003's, Vehicles and Animals, but were notably downplayed two years later on the more commercially successful Tourist, have returned here. A fact sure to please the legions of fans won over by the individuality that dripped from the bands debut. The changing structure of many tracks is reminiscent of earlier works and will see you toe-tapping and humming along to the same tune you didn't think much of just twenty seconds earlier. The hands-in-the-air, sing-out-loud choruses of old favourites like El Salvador and Westside may not be immediately apparent, but that is not to say Beyond The Neighbourhood doesn't have it's hooks. First single Hurricane is as upbeat and defiant a track as the Deptford boys have come up with to date and both Tokyo and Second Hand Stores ought to make successful, almost anthemic singles.

Electronic experimentation around an indie framework has always been Athlete's bag and this album is certainly no different. The opening track In Between Two States is an atmospheric lo-fi instrumental Massive Attack would be proud of, and the theme is continued throughout, with varying degrees of success. The Outsiders which Pott cites as "about being English" is blessed with a gorgeous, lolloping soundtrack, unfortunately at odds with it's awkward lyrical content and Flying Over Bus Stops, although a beautiful wave-drenched lullaby is so gentle you'd be forgiven for thinking the CD had stopped and it's rather flailing semi-crescendo finale may lack the oomph to win back your attention.

Worthy of note is the 9/11 inspired Best Not To Think About It for which Pott employs a similar style of songwriting used on Tourist's award winning smash hit, Wires. Telling a very condensed personal story through the eyes of an imagined protagonist he deftly manages to evoke emotion and distaste without overtly making a political statement. The result is a respectful and dignified dirge. Reminiscent of Claptons Tears In Heaven, it's difficult to listen to because of the subject matter rather than the manner in which it is dealt.

On the whole an record more playful and upbeat than Tourist, more grown-up and settled than Vehicles And Animals, with Beyond The Neighbourhood, Athlete have combined the best of both previous albums to create a sound which, whilst instantly recognisable as their own, still manages to be both separate and distinct nonetheless. Although it is by no means flawless, Joel Pott and friends have taken a commendably progressive approach, that has created a third album echoing with depth and which rewards the repeat listener handsomely.

Winston Roache