Altsounds - Animal Kingdom - Signs And Wonders [Album]

Stunning Album From London Indie Lot.

Indie is such a rife genre these days. Every second band that emerges from the cold, dark British music nether sports jangly guitars, a Smiths t-shirt and a fucking awful, heavily accented-just-because voice to match. They are quickly chewed through the machine and regurgitated as a bi-product by an A&R douche that wouldn’t know good music if it bent over and shat into their iPod.

However, London quartet Animal Kingdom stand as a complete contradiction of this rule. Their music is sharp, yet gentle; whimsical yet hard hitting. They create vast, luscious musical soundscapes that evolve, lull and sooth the listener; resulting in an album of bottomless depth & instant classics. If one were seeking proof, then motion towards the jovial opening salvo of 'Good Morning, Mr Magpie,' before coursing through both the upbeat single and album title track 'Signs and Wonders' and the emotive melodies and introspective lyrics of 'Into The Sea'; as one would find it simply impossible to consider this anything but ground breaking and beautiful.

Moving onwards, the likes of 'Mephistopheles,' named after Johann von Goethe’s version of the Devil in the infamous “Faust” story, is an eerie journey that ebbs a darkened, gothic element with nods towards bands like Joy Division. Concluding things, 'Dollar Signs' and 'Chalk Stars' ebb a similar charm and grace that brings things to a fantastic close. Some may not go for this, but those who like their music delicate yet intelligent will die for this album. Amazingly, it seems that an A and R type somewhere actually got something right for once.