Ultimately, >>> is yet another excellent record from Barrow and co, one which will surely delight for quite some time post-release.
Beak's third album is, at times a dark and oppressive album but still full of light and shade. The trio create a definite mood that runs through the album and as such the album feels like it has a greater sense of purpose. Coupled with a sharper sound and stronger hooks, >>> stands as the band's most engaging album to date.
Some of the band's most entertaining and most challenging music, >>>'s eclectic experiments prove that the greater-than symbol at the end of Beak>'s name isn't just for show -- they keep pushing forward, and it's thrilling to go along on the ride with them.
Spotted with muffled, R. Stevie Moore-like vocals and bathed in warm, low electronica, >>> holds some of the band's most immersive and enveloping material to date.
The movement and progression of sound of >>> is a simultaneously lucid and absorbing achievement, and for this reason and many more, Beak> remains one of the very best at subverting genre conventionality.
The band is capable of not just making stellar music, but of growing past its tried-and-true strengths to get weird and satisfying in brand new ways. Lesser artists would have run out of things to say with this music long before now, but if >>> is any indication, Beak> won’t be at that point for a long time.
The trio’s earlier material suggested that aural oddness and warped atmospherics were more crucial than the formalities of conventional songwriting. At its best, >>> retains the weirdness but manages to staple it to some fairly colossal tunes, with an emphasis on huge grooves that nods towards Barrow’s background as a drummer.
Their third album >>> is, by all measures, their boldest: vocals are emerging from the swamp, drums are getting downright funky (check out the incredible bongo breaks of single “Brean Down”) and the once minimalist trio is now open to string arrangements.
Their latest album, >>>, is perhaps their most melodic and crisply defined work yet.
I remember not caring about this when it came out and then revisiting it like 3 weeks later to find myself completely addicted to it. This album is very diverse and introduced me to different genres from what I used to listen to, including Geoff's other works, which I totally don't regret. The production here is fantastic, the atmosphere created can be dark sometimes, but it has pretty good melodies and it is very immersive.
I've had this reaccuring dream the past several years. I get it once every year or two but it's almost always the same except the ending. It's always this nameless beach town and its economy is on boats. Every building had a Telltale Games color palette. I always just walk through the main street through local bands playing to activists and just observing nature. Usually the dream starts with people I know or knew at the time but they randomly disappear or get sidetracked. One person once was ... read more
7/10
good
Fav tracks: The Brazilian, Brean Down, Birthday Suit, Harvester, Allé Sauvage, King of the Castle, RSI, When We Fall
FAVS: Brean Down, Birthday Suit, Teisco, Abbots Leigh, When We Fall
LEAST FAV: The Brazilian
1 | The Brazilian 4:10 | |
2 | Brean Down 3:51 | |
3 | Birthday Suit 4:29 | |
4 | Harvester 3:01 | |
5 | Allé sauvage 7:23 | |
6 | Teisco 2:06 | |
7 | King of the Castle 2:44 | |
8 | RSI 3:33 | |
9 | Abbots Leigh 6:36 | |
10 | When We Fall 5:31 |
#3 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#7 | / | BBC Radio 6 Music |
#8 | / | Uncut |
#11 | / | Louder Than War |
#20 | / | Loud and Quiet |
#22 | / | Norman Records |
#27 | / | Far Out Magazine |
#39 | / | Drift |
#49 | / | Gigwise |
#60 | / | Rough Trade |