By Alan Cho
There is one problem that surfaces beyond all others for me on this record, “Odessa” is too good. It’s too catchy, too melodic and just repetitive enough to make you want it one more time at that sad 5:16 mark. This is where the problem lies.
Yeah, okay, so “Sun” is also really good, but these great openers create an internal battle over whether to carry on or just go back to what you know is good and forget about tracks three through nine. If the listener wins said internal struggle and even makes it to “Kaili,” after the mellow climax-letdown finish of “Sun,” one might notice the vocal similarities to anything Hot Chip has ever created. This association isn’t anger-inducing as much as it is grating, continuing on into the opening vocals of “Found Out,” weaving in and out of one’s ears like a pleasant tapeworm on a humid day. The similarities trudge on into “Bowls,” where it is easy to hear the influence of the percussion from “Over and Over” by Hot Chip.
The rest of this album is blurred for this listener. It’s not that this album is not good. It’s great driving alone while the sun is coming up, twilight-zone stuff. But parts of it are too good. In opening with “Odessa,” Daniel Snaith shoves the listener into the ocean and leaves them longing for that first adrenaline rush, no matter how long they swim.