Athlete has recently released their third album Black Swan, follow up to what I thought was a fairly underrated album, 2007′s Beyond The Neighbourhood. Athlete has brought us more of the same of what they have so far, very radio/listener friendly brit-pop that skirts the same lines that Coldplay and similar brethren do, they have just never garnered the same popularity and attention those other bands have gotten. They certainly fall into the guilty-pleasure category, as nothing here is edgy or revolutionary, but it is just solid song-making and producing. I think with this album, they haven’t done anything really entirely new, but the album to me doesn’t feel as fresh as their prior effort, and while it does have a few standout tracks, overall the album doesn’t quite deliver as well as the previous one and it doesn’t quite have the same listenability and staying power.
The opener “Superhuman Touch” is a driving synth/rock/pop song that is a good opener, and has some good energy to it. “Black Swan Song” is an epic/ballad-y rocker that is extremely well done also. “Love Come Rescue” is a slow acoustic folk-y song that is the most unique on the record. These songs all have some great hooks and sounds to them, and really help carry the record. They show that these guys still have that oomph to really put together some great songs. Some of the other songs on the record, especially the songs in the back half of the record, are not generally as strong and can kind of run together as there is not a lot of exploration and uniqueness there. The pace of the album just doesn’t carry as well all the way through as they have in the past, and towards the end it can drag a little more than you would like.
These guys can write a radio-friendly pop hit song as well as anyone out there really, and some of the songs on here are really up to it and up to the level of their prior works, but some of the other songs miss the mark slightly, and the overall feeling of the album just leaves you wanting a little bit more. The last album just felt fresher to me. There are a few standout tracks here, and these guys still do what they do well, but ultimately it doesn’t quite transcend the way their last release did, and the whole package doesn’t quite come together as well.
BV Rate: 72
Athlete – Superhuman Touch – From Black Swan (CD, MP3, iTunes)
Athlete – Love Come Rescue – From Black Swan (CD, MP3, iTunes)
