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Amazon.co.uk Review
It's a shame that Britpop brings up memories of dull guitar-rock traditionalists stuck in thrall to the spirit of the 60s, because it's very tempting to dub Athlete's debut album, Vehicles and Animals, a minor British pop classic. The work of an East London quartet with a wry observational eye and a sound planted somewhere between Squeeze, XTC and Blur from the time of Modern Life Is Rubbish, Vehicles and Animals is a success of subtle experimentalism, box-twiddling electronic trickery and brightly optimistic pop nous. "You Got the Style" tackles racial unrest in multicultural London with a sunbeam of pure positivity, frontman Joel Pott offering "We should be laughing about it / Making the most of the true British climate" as Tim Wanstall's synth-lines bounce like stray beach balls.
Sure, Athlete specialise in big, neon sing-along choruses--see the glimmering "El Salvador", the sprawling wonder of "Beautiful"--but their approach is tempered with a very pretty vulnerability. "Westside" opens with a hushed acoustic lead-in where Pott's cracked, fragile vocal shakily tests out the chorus--"Wherever you look you can see / Everybody wants to be part of the rock scene"--before the song explodes into life. It's the sort of sunny disposition that could almost define a new British climate. Looks like it's turned out nice again. --Louis Pattison
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unashamedly cheerful, should be available on prescription,
By
This review is from: Vehicles & Animals (Audio CD)
Look around the British music rock scene at the moment, and though it's undeniably flourishing, it's all just a little dark. Hail To The Thief, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Think Tank, Sleeping With Ghosts - all uplifing in their own way, but none of them make you smile stupidly and nod your head and sway with the beat. If you're missing the summer and want to inject some fun into your CD collection, look no further than Athlete.From the moment you slip the record into the player, and the first slightly distorted drum beats of 'El Salvador' begin to play, you can't help but tap your feet. Ignore the fact that it sounds a lot like Avril Lavigne's 'Complicated', it's better, and happier. And the mood doesn't stop - on single 'Westside', the band even helpfully shout out 'Chorus!' as your cue to start singing. The vocalist Joel Pott's friendly vocal twang complements everything the band play - whether it's skitting hip-hop drum machine on 'One Million' or the brilliantly witty singalong of 'Dungeness'. 'You Got The Style', amazingly about the racial divide, is another fantastic karaoke song, though it manages to be serious as well as great fun. There are, granted, slower tracks, but not Radiohead or Coldplay slow. 'Shake Those Windows' and 'Beautiful' are stunning, maintaining the easy melodic flow whilst sounding just a little less manically happy. The former has the most instantly likeable chorus I've heard in many years. There are some poignant moments too - 'New Project' for instance, with the lyric 'Imagine this is all you ever had', and the title track, where Pott croons gently along with acoustic guitar, daring you to join him, until the whole band comes in a wonderful coda Naturally the album has its weaknesses, like 'Out Of Nowhere' - a daft track that just sounds plain weird after the non-stop cheeriness of the whole album. I'm not even sure that the heavy guitar break on 'New Project' was necessary, it always wakes me up when I'm trying to drift off. But these are minor blemishes on an unabashedly happy, bright and summery record that offers something a little different. If you want a walk in the sunshine, or you're driving home on a Friday, put this on, and you'll get home in a defiantly pleasant mood.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece!!,
This review is from: Vehicles & Animals (Audio CD)
Are you one of the people who have just recently followed Athlete and looking at V&A and deciding whether or not to buy it. If You Are, BUY IT!!!!!This album in my opinion is slightly better than Tourist and is a totally different album. This is catchy Quirky Pop at its greatest . You will be singing ths ongs for ages. Every song at first sounds familiar but when you listen properly you can hear the great talent these guys have!!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"This is beautiful...",
By gabby (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Vehicles & Animals (Audio CD)
I bought this after I bought Tourist and am now contradicting myself by saying this one is so much better. It's not trying to be something else like Tourist is, and whereas Tourist is a good album, Vehicles and Animals is one you will not want to stop listening to. Anyone who likes good music will love this album, and if you like Athlete's latest offerings but thought they were all a bit samey after a while then try this and it will be a breath of fresh air. I hope on Athlete's 3rd album they return to this formula which is so uplifting and a million times better than their just-a-tiny-bit-dreary-and-boring new style. Every track is good, but stand-outs for me are: The catchy, feel-good El Salvador Beautiful - slow, anthemic, "beautiful" You Got the Style - impossibly catchy New Project - a lovely melody and every time you hear the opening line you will have to sing along Vehicles and Animals - The Title track of the album has a beautiful message, fantastic lyrics and a sing along gorgeous chorus. Out of Nowhere - quite upbeat but very different to the rest of the album Dungeness - Great chorus Le Casio - the perfect ending to the album. without realising I have listed almost the entire album so there you are, buy it! Even if you haven't liked songs like "Wires" although at times you can hear the resemblance in this album, you should still try it because it's completely different.
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