Athlete - Beyond the Neighbourhood

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 10 / 10 / 2007

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Review

Following on from the massive success of 2003's ‘Vehicles and Animals’ and 2005's ‘Tourist’, ‘Beyond the Neighbourhood’ is the third album from Greenwich boys, Athlete. It was recorded locally in their own studio in South East London and starts off with ‘In Between 2 States’, which has a calm, but moody post rock sound. ‘Hurricane’, the first single from the album, didn’t do much for me on first listening, but it continues to play in your head later as it is really catchy and alive. A foot tapper from the start, it rocks gently in the style of a more trendy Coldplay. ‘Tokyo’ has more grit to it. It reminds me of 70’s band the Knack and has an anthem grabbing feel to it, It is a pleasant rocker of the easy listening sort. ‘Airport Disco’ is slow, music to sway to rather than dance to, and is as calming as the end-of-the-night hot chocolate in a mug. ‘It's Not Your Fault’ is another Coldplay-type number. It is anthem-based pop at its best with flowing guitars. ‘The Outsiders’ is a soft and adult coffee table music number, while ‘Flying Over Bus Stops’, which has an element of post rock and fits a gap between Mojave 3 and the quieter moments of Pink Floyd, is softly sung by singer Joel Potts and almost like a whisper. ‘Second Hand Stories’ has loud but restrained guitars which are pumped up to full power at the end. ‘In the Library’ is perfect daytime radio material. It is perky with a sing-a long vibe, but as it progresses it becomes more ballsy with furious guitars. ‘Best Not to Think, About It’ has an orchestral feel, and gentle and warm, kicks up a gear at the end. ‘This is What I Sound Like' ends the album, and, the perfect last track, is soothing in sound and, a song that Coldplay would be proud of, closes this thoroughly decent album on a fine note.

Track Listing:-

1 In Between 2 States
2 Hurricane
3 Tokyo
4 Airport Disco
5 It's Not Your Fault
6 The Outsiders
7 Flying over Bus Stops
8 Second Hand Stores
9 In the Library
10 Best Not to Think About It
11 This Is What I Sound Like

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