The Maccabees

adidasss · 05-18-2009, 07:43 AM

Oh hey again.

Long time no bump.

Here's a great little doc about the new album:

Best thing to come out of Britain in fucking yonks...

DReills84 · 05-18-2009, 07:58 AM

I think they are brilliant, I really love the fiirst album and No Kind Words is sublime! Goin to see them in Dublin this week, can't wait!

adidasss · 05-18-2009, 09:13 AM

I was hoping this album would at least do well in Britain (let's face it, British acts don't do well in the U.S. at all unless they're called Coldplay or Muse) but I see it peaked at 13 and then rapidly dropped to 33 in the album charts. I've read some of the reviews which range from exhuberant to lukewarm, representative of the latter being the one from drownedinsound which praises the album for the songwriting but goes on to cite the apparent similarity to Arcade fire as the major downside (seriously, apart from the voice in one or two tracks, this band has about as much to do with Arcade fire as do Franz Ferdinand) while at the same time neglecting to find the same fault in the much more obviously influenced and less than subtle lo-fi-fuzz-rock-bandwaggon second album of The Horrors (yeah stu, I know what you've been reading). It's almost a sure thing it's not going to get a positive review from Pitchfork (it's all about the lo-fi-crap-fuzz-rock peeps, and it has to come from the States) which would have aided in securing it a wider audience, particularly that across the Atlantic. It's a goddamn shame, because this album is definitely in the top three of this year for me, and although it is likely to get written off as just another British new-new-wave/Arcade fire tribute band, I'd go so far as to compare it with Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear in terms of songwriting quality, even if it is much more pop oriented. And what's more, unlike the aforementioned albums, this one doesn't have a single bad track on it as far as I'm concerned, which is a feat and I'd be pressed to remember when the last time such an album occurred.

DReills84 · 05-18-2009, 09:35 AM

Here here!!
The only reason I can think they made the arcade fire quote is because some of the visuals in the ''No Kind Words'' video look like the cover art for Neon Bible, otherwise I can see no similarities strong enough to make such a comparison. Which leads me to believe that another reason they made the comparison is because they don't know what they're talkin about, which is a lot more likely!

Quote:

Originally Posted by adidasss

i was hoping this album would at least do well in britain (let's face it, british acts don't do well in the u.s. At all unless they're called coldplay or muse) but i see it peaked at 13 and then rapidly dropped to 33 in the album charts. I've read some of the reviews which range from exhuberant to lukewarm, representative of the latter being the one from drownedinsound which praises the album for the songwriting but goes on to cite the apparent similarity to arcade fire as the major downside (seriously, apart from the voice in one or two tracks, this band has about as much to do with arcade fire as do franz ferdinand) while at the same time neglecting to find the same fault in the much more obviously influenced and less than subtle lo-fi-fuzz-rock-bandwaggon second album of the horrors (yeah stu, i know what you've been reading). It's almost a sure thing it's not going to get a positive review from pitchfork (it's all about the lo-fi-crap-fuzz-rock peeps, and it has to come from the states) which would have aided in securing it a wider audience, particularly that across the atlantic. It's a goddamn shame, because this album is definitely in the top three of this year for me, and although it is likely to get written off as just another british new-new-wave/arcade fire tribute band, i'd go so far as to compare it with animal collective and grizzly bear in terms of songwriting quality, even if it is much more pop oriented. And what's more, unlike the aforementioned albums, this one doesn't have a single bad track on it as far as i'm concerned, which is a feat and i'd be pressed to remember when the last time such an album occurred.

ikvat · 07-28-2020, 04:11 PM

Disbanded now. The Maccabees is one of my favourit English band of the 2010. They didn't have the success they deserved, but probably will become an iconic band in the futur

The Batlord · 07-28-2020, 04:37 PM

Only lily white dorks could use such a lame name.

adidasss · 12-22-2020, 10:59 PM

I just listened to their last album, which I hadn't heard. Nothing really stuck with me, same as the first album.

I still really love Wall of arms which I'd give maybe a 9/10 (although I love every song on the album). Also very fond of Given to the wild, which is a much more subdued experience, more romantic, quiet and sweet I would say, less jangly and anthemic than WoA. 8/10 for me. The first and last albums are ok but not much to hold on to.

05-18-2009, 07:43 AM	#11 (permalink)
adidasss Slavic gay sauce Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Abu Dhabi Posts: 7,993	Oh hey again. Long time no bump. Here's a great little doc about the new album: Best thing to come out of Britain in fucking yonks... __________________ “Think of what a paradise this world would be if men were kind and wise.” - Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle. Last.fm

05-18-2009, 09:13 AM	#13 (permalink)
adidasss Slavic gay sauce Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Abu Dhabi Posts: 7,993	I was hoping this album would at least do well in Britain (let's face it, British acts don't do well in the U.S. at all unless they're called Coldplay or Muse) but I see it peaked at 13 and then rapidly dropped to 33 in the album charts. I've read some of the reviews which range from exhuberant to lukewarm, representative of the latter being the one from drownedinsound which praises the album for the songwriting but goes on to cite the apparent similarity to Arcade fire as the major downside (seriously, apart from the voice in one or two tracks, this band has about as much to do with Arcade fire as do Franz Ferdinand) while at the same time neglecting to find the same fault in the much more obviously influenced and less than subtle lo-fi-fuzz-rock-bandwaggon second album of The Horrors (yeah stu, I know what you've been reading). It's almost a sure thing it's not going to get a positive review from Pitchfork (it's all about the lo-fi-crap-fuzz-rock peeps, and it has to come from the States) which would have aided in securing it a wider audience, particularly that across the Atlantic. It's a goddamn shame, because this album is definitely in the top three of this year for me, and although it is likely to get written off as just another British new-new-wave/Arcade fire tribute band, I'd go so far as to compare it with Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear in terms of songwriting quality, even if it is much more pop oriented. And what's more, unlike the aforementioned albums, this one doesn't have a single bad track on it as far as I'm concerned, which is a feat and I'd be pressed to remember when the last time such an album occurred. __________________ “Think of what a paradise this world would be if men were kind and wise.” - Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle. Last.fm

07-28-2020, 04:11 PM	#15 (permalink)
ikvat Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 625	Disbanded now. The Maccabees is one of my favourit English band of the 2010. They didn't have the success they deserved, but probably will become an iconic band in the futur __________________ But who cares ? Last edited by ikvat; 07-28-2020 at 04:16 PM.

12-22-2020, 10:59 PM	#17 (permalink)
adidasss Slavic gay sauce Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Abu Dhabi Posts: 7,993	I just listened to their last album, which I hadn't heard. Nothing really stuck with me, same as the first album. I still really love Wall of arms which I'd give maybe a 9/10 (although I love every song on the album). Also very fond of Given to the wild, which is a much more subdued experience, more romantic, quiet and sweet I would say, less jangly and anthemic than WoA. 8/10 for me. The first and last albums are ok but not much to hold on to. __________________ “Think of what a paradise this world would be if men were kind and wise.” - Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle. Last.fm

05-18-2009, 07:58 AM	#12 (permalink)
DReills84 Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 57	I think they are brilliant, I really love the fiirst album and No Kind Words is sublime! Goin to see them in Dublin this week, can't wait!