ALBUM REVIEW: The Imbeciles - Imbecilica
The Imbeciles are an Anglo-American band. They supported Killing Joke on a nationwide tour of the UK, who are one of the most ferocious live acts on the circuit. Their new album Imbecilica is co-written with and produced by their bassist, Youth (Martin Glover). He invited them to his studio, because he loved their art-punk football anthem Sunday Leaguer, which was played on Match of the Day. The frontman Butch Dante is a Crystal Palace fan.
The musical style is pitched somewhere between an indie sound blended with the post-punk vibes of Joy Division, Wire, Devo and Gang of Four. Across the album you’ll find plenty of those indie-style riffs and clean guitar tones, notably on the instantly catchy and radio-friendly It’s Not About You and The Strokes-inspired intro to I’m Not the One.
Tiny Blue People complements call-and-response guitars and explodes with melody.
You’re Gonna Wanna, Soldiers & Junkies and Let’s Go! don’t have a harder edge, giving a wider tonality to the album.
To add to the broad appeal of the record, they’ve included a couple of slower, more heartfelt tracks. The first, London Rain, is an amalgam of melancholic guitars with a psychedelic accompaniment and a lyric that has more than a hint of The Beatles about it.
I Won’t Let You Down has a combination of an urgent rhythm section and laid-back guitars that should see them rocketing up the charts and landing spots at summer festivals.
You’re Gonna Wanna is feel-good, guitar-driven pop music; it’s even got a Blur ‘Song 2’ woo-hoo in it, but underneath the poppy shine there is a darkness and irony that underpins much of their work.
It’s not special, but it’s certainly a coherent and enjoyable record that I’ll revisit.
Imbecilica is OUT NOW!
