A
warning: Animal by Stone Horizon is, once heard, a very difficult song to get
out of your head.
They have a shoe-gazey sound that casts my
mind to bands like R.E.M., Land Of Talk, and The Futureheads.
The
melodies have a strong hint of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t fear the Reaper”,
(which incidentally, is covered by the band on YouTube.) Personally I like this
touch. It gives an earthy, likeable character, as does the dynamic range of the
vocals and the clear but lo-fi production. The vocals go from a melodic, urgent
feel in the verses, blending into the wall of sound, to a deep crooning during
the bridge, singing “Im gonna get ya” in a similar vein to Blondie’s “One way
or another.”
Warm
bass harmonies compliment the guitars, as do the drums, which have a powerful
and expansive depth. The band don’t indulge too much in solos (quite often a
good thing in my book), which makes the hammer-on laden noodling at the climax
of the song all the more well placed, adding a nicely understated complexity.
Animal
is an infectious song for many moods. My mind pictures driving, running and
being in the open air as some good settings. Chasing someone, or being chased
by them, (in a friendly way) would also be fitting.
Listen to Animal here
Listen to Animal here
Review by Lawrence Peattie
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