Athlete - Beyond the Neighbourhood [2007]
Athlete - Tourist [2005]
This band took my completely by surprise. I had read about Athlete in various magazines and referred to this quartet from London by a few music-savvy colleagues but never actually sat down to listen to them for a while. I had been told that Athlete was no far departure from my steady favorite from the United Kingdom, Coldplay. So I let the tracks play their way through - once, twice and suddenly found myself putting my newly formed "Athlete Playlist" on repeat. Track after track - my thoughts? Athlete is just plain solid.
Joel Pott, the leader singer, has very interesting intricacies and quirks in his voice that add a quality to the songs that can only be described as "Athlete". Athlete's sound ranges from the intimate songs you listen to as you fall asleep (listen to "Trading Air" or "Street Map" on Tourist) to arena-filling rock anthems ("Hurricane" on Beyond the Neighbourhood has the roaring chord progressions to accomplish this).
In their hit song "Wires", Pott & Co. sing of premature babies, their very being trapped in a plastic box and surrounded by wires, a musical expression of Joel's own baby who was born prematurely (but is healthy now - His Grace is truly infinite).
Whether you want music to reflect to by yourself or songs that you crank up to 11 in your car with your pals, Athlete has you covered. Their older album Tourist has a more traditional "British Rock" sound that made Athlete famous. Beyond the Neighbourhood, Athlete's 2007 effort, shows Athlete's progression into their next stage of musical evolution with incorporation of more electronic elements that blend incredibly with Athlete's already established voice. With Beyond the Neighbourhood being their latest, and entirely self-produced work, it can be easily determined that Athlete has found confidence in their sound, and it shows.
Sample Track: Yesterday Threw Everything at Me
|