Rating: 4.5/5
Second albums can be a drag. They can either kill a musician’s career just as it is gaining momentum or have rabid fans forever claiming, “Yeah, their first was way better, dude.” That is a lot of pressure, but some bands are so proud of their debut (especially when it is good) they will completely switch up their sound. But a smart band knows that if something is not broken, there is no need to fix it. Two Door Cinema Club may be a hybrid of both breeds. Northern Ireland’s peppiest band had a debut album, 2010’s “Tourist History,” that was as sharp and witty as anything Franz Ferdinand or Bloc Party put out while managing to be lighter and more danceable. With that record, Two Door Cinema Club managed to garner the adoration of the indie music world, give hope to disco enthusiasts and even find a small hit on pop radio with “What You Know.” “Tourist History” was a promising debut from a promising band.
“Beacon,” their follow-up record, seems awkward at first. It does not hit as hard as “Tourist History.” Drums are dialed back and synthesizers are turned up to make more blips and fuzz than beats. Two Door Cinema Club sounds more of a modern dance band than anything now. But then again, that is not necessarily something to be ashamed of. Try to not tap your feet or skip in your step with “Next Year,” “Handshake” or “Someday.” The guitars of Sam Halliday still cut like knives, and the bounce of the grooves is still so much fun to hear. The real treat is hearing the electronic background of the songs that make the bounce so current. Credit that electric urgency to producer Jacknife Lee, the man who gave that energy to the likes of U2, R.E.M. and Silversun Pickups. He even brought The Cars back to their new wave heyday with their underrated 2011 comeback “Move Like This.” He is one of the few producers today who can make a band’s sound click on the dance floor (and still be credited as good music).
What remains of the old Two Door Cinema Club, fortunately, is the great lyrics. “Tourist History” was their witty observation of the high-class girls surrounding them back home, while “Beacon” is more uplifting and hopeful of what is to come. Take “The World Is Watching,” which is a duet with Valentina. As she sings “I want you with me,” with heavenly synth blips in the background, lead singer and romantic Alex Trimble croons “Look into your heart, are you happy? /You could be the one to set me free/ and with your hand in mine we will walk/ to a place that knows no one.” Trimble’s delicate voice keeps the song sincere in its dream-like sound. “Wake Up” finds Trimble hoping that the girl he had the greatest one night stand of his life with still thinks about him: “Tell me you’ll feel better/ when you’re sleeping through the day/ and I’ll tell you how you missed it/ when you wake up.”
The mood shifts once you get past track seven with bassist Kevin Baird leading the music on “Pyramid” and the album’s title track. The energy dies down, and it even gets spooky on the title track as Trimble’s voice echoes over Halliday’s high-pitched plucking. There are very few missteps on this gorgeous record, but one of them happens to be “Sun,” which is Trimble’s standard ‘why is my love so far away?’ song. But this is the next great step to where the band wants to go. Two Door Cinema club may be in indie-world now, but “Beacon” could fill Madison Square Garden if given the opportunity. The motto from “Beacon” comes from the title track: “Take the deep end/ and swim ‘til you can’t stand/ cause it will make a difference in the end.”
Best Tracks: “Next Year,” “Wake Up,” “The World Is Watching,” “Beacon”
Tracks to Ignore: “Sun,” “Settle”
