Red

Guillemots' sophomore effort has proved to be more breathtaking

Released two years ago, the debut album Through The Windowpane of collective Guillemots formed by Fyfe Dangerfield in 2004 was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. The band's soloist with guitarist and bassist MC Lord Magrao, Aristazabal Hawkes playing double bass and percussion and drummer Greig Stewart have conquered the audience with their orchestral arrangements refining the record but it is live performances that brought the main fame to the musicians. Taking into account the fact that two saxophone and woodwind players perform with Guillemots from time to time, and that the front man has created a jazz ensemble Gannets with those two one can imagine what happens on the collective's concerts. As a matter of fact now that new songs have appeared on the repertoire of Guillemots that make its sophomore effort Red something unimaginable will probably occur on the stadiums. The thing is that compared to the debut work Red has proved to be a more breathtaking, danceable and impressive album easily pretending to outshine many of the year's indie records.

Red is meant mainly for having fun on the dance floor

If on the first work the accent was made on the harmony of the orchestra instruments playing on the second one Guillemots move electronics on the front row which is mainly the guitars and the songs production with the inclusion of various sounds from horn to a typewriter (by the way the latter has been present on one of recent performances). At the same time the rest of the instruments are all here sounding organically on pieces meant mainly for having fun on the dance floor. A carefree first track Kriss Kross with glam rock elements and a memorable chorus has become a great beginning of the collection depicting the images of the coming party, and composition Big Dog catches the same mood. Giving vent to their feelings the guys take rest on a wonderful acoustic breakup anthem Falling Out Of Reach with the lyrics that manage to render the feelings of the character suffering with a broken heart and taking the reality painfully. Single Get Over It, a perfect choice for the role, is powerful, catchy and interesting from the point of view of its content telling of the impossibility of being with someone else when you have a relationship. Such compositions as Clarion and Last Kiss please with their contagious tunefulness while Dangerfield's best vocals are exhibited on song Standing On The Last Star refined with his falsetto. Speaking about the unusual noises they are all concentrated on track Don't Look Down the same optimistic as the others and a sad and wonderfully beautiful song Take Me Home is the one to close the record.

Each of the tracks is a masterpiece of performance

The band's name meaning a kind of sea birds has a direct relation to the members' interest, i.e. birds' singing and the fact that a great deal of their creations are refined with the voices of different rare species is also connected with that. Even speaking about who or what has influenced their creative work the musicians refer to birds the only artist they name being Bjork. Last June Guillemots has even taken part in a BBC film dedicated to birds, and of course if one listens more carefully to Red it can tell a lot as well. Thus this original collective never ceases to surprise and although its new album does not reach the power of energy charge of its live performances it would not be wrong to state that the guys have woken up and finally demonstrated their potentials. The album has resulted in a really quality one each of the tracks being a masterpiece of performance and stylistically the whole palette is present here from rock and pop music to funk and R&B. It is worth while hoping that in future the birds Guillemots do not lose their feathers and remain the same strong-voiced so that they could please us with the albums that stylish and joyful as is almost perfect Red.