Wild Beasts | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Putting their own flamboyant and sensual stamp on the often-straitlaced world of English indie, Wild Beasts were founded in 2002 by Hayden Thorpe (guitar, vocals) and Ben Little (guitar). Originally called Fauve, the duo was joined by drummer Chris Talbot in 2004 and changed its name to Wild Beasts. After recording a self-titled EP, Tom Flemming was recruited as Wild Beasts bassist, and the band relocated to Leeds, where its energetic sound and Thorpes theatrical falsetto earned the group a dedicated local following. Wild Beasts released a number of singles on Bad Sneakers Records (which they signed to in 2006) before signing with Domino Records in 2007. Their debut album, Limbo, Panto, was released in July 2008 in the U.K. and that November in the U.S. It was followed in 2009 by Two Dancers, again on Domino. For 2011s Smother, the group recorded in an isolated area in North Wales and reunited with co-producer Richard Formby. After a period of intense touring, Wild Beasts took a break to concentrate on recording their fourth album, Present Tense, which featured production by Lexxx and Leo Abrahams. Upon its 2014 release, it reached number ten on the U.K. album chart. Two years later, the band returned with Boy King, a more electronically inclined set of songs produced by Grammy winner John Congleton. In September 2017, Wild Beasts revealed they had called it quits. A month later, they marked the occasion with the release of the Punk Drunk and Trembling EP, which included songs from the Boy King sessions. To accompany their farewell tour in February 2018, Wild Beasts issued Last Night All My Dreams Came True, a collection of the bands definitive songs recorded live at RAK Studios. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 11 Title: Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants Released: 2006-11-20 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants (04:02) 2 Assembly (02:53) 3 Sylvia (02:42) 4 Treacle Tin (04:19) |
 | Album: 2 of 11 Title: Limbo, Panto Released: 2008-06-16 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Vigil for a Fuddy Duddy (04:43) 2 The Club of Fathomless Love (03:44) 3 The Devil’s Crayon (03:38) 4 Woebegone Wanderers (04:54) 5 The Old Dog (04:27) 6 Please, Sir (03:27) 7 His Grinning Skull (04:36) 8 She Purred, While I Grrred (03:30) 9 Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants (04:02) 10 Cheerio Chaps, Cheerio Goodbye (04:38) |
| Limbo, Panto : Allmusic album Review : When it comes to creativity, the Wild Beasts have an embarrassment of riches. The bands full-length debut, Limbo, Panto, is exotic, exciting, fascinating, and forced in equal measures. "Vigil for a Fuddy Duddy" opens the album by spotlighting the most divisive, and definitive, part of the bands music: singer/guitarist Hayden Thorpes vocals. He careens from a warbling falsetto to a suave croon to a feral growl, sounding like a hybrid of Antony Hegarty, Tiny Tim, and Mika (with shades of Tiger Lillies howler Martyn Jacques and possibly Dame Edna to boot), not just during the course of one song, but sometimes within a single syllable. Its an attention-getting sound, but it often crosses the line between distinctive and difficult, especially since Thorpes fondness for wordy lyrics such as "dont render me the sorriest parody" and the Seuss-like internal rhymes and alliteration on "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants" and "Cheerio Chaps, Cheerio Goodbye" are already extremely stylized. However, Limbo, Panto is more than Thorpes love-it-or-hate-it lightning rod of a voice. The rest of the Wild Beasts music is relatively restrained but still far from conventional, fitting around Thorpes vocals in more subtly unique ways. Relying mostly on a traditional guitar-bass-drums lineup (along with the occasional keyboard), the Wild Beasts evoke cabaret, vaudeville, jazz, disco, and Afro-pop, depending on their whims. "The Old Dog" could be a lost and very warped 70s pop single, while "Please Sir" fuses doo wop rhythms with chamber pop delicacy and "Woebegone Wanderers" flips from a disco strut to a carnivalesque oompah beat. Over the course of the album, the bands experiments teeter between genuinely intriguing music and just trying way too hard. "The Devils Crayon" is excellent, with percolating guitars and lunging drums that come together in strangely graceful, romantic ways. This song and "His Grinning Skull" -- another standout that makes the lyric "Ill eat this young whelps heart, I will" seem perfectly conversational -- feature bassist Tom Flemmings throaty vocals. "She Purred While I Grrred" is a highlight that is all Thorpes, however; he sounds like hes in heat as he purrs and grrrs his way through the songs jungle-like carnality. These moments balance tracks like "The Club of Fathomless Love," where everything that is interesting about the bands music just sounds grating. In its own way, the Wild Beasts volatile flamboyance is more difficult to embrace than an overtly dissonant experimental bands music, but thats just another way that this group sets itself apart from the rest of the pack -- and theres something very liberating about that, even if its baffling at times. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 11 Title: Two Dancers Released: 2009-08-03 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Fun Powder Plot (05:35) 2 Hooting & Howling (04:35) 3 All the King’s Men (03:59) 4 When I’m Sleepy (02:09) 5 We Still Got the Taste Dancin’ on Our Tongues (04:36) 6 Two Dancers (i) (04:06) 7 Two Dancers (ii) (02:37) 8 This Is Our Lot (04:32) 9 Underbelly (01:54) 10 Empty Nest (03:24) |
| Two Dancers : Allmusic album Review : A more polished, cohesive second album might not have been expected from the Wild Beasts, but then again, their debut didnt exactly play by the rules either. Limbo, Panto was a particularly apt title for the bands first album: its songs were nearly as disjointed -- often fascinatingly so -- as they were theatrical. That cant be said of Two Dancers, which sounds far more inviting; it sighs and caresses where Limbo, Panto stomped and snarled. "The Fun Powder Plot" signals the Wild Beasts big changes right away: guitars chime over intricate percussion and keyboards, and Hayden Thorpes falsetto, once the most divisive instrument in the bands arsenal, is smooth instead of raging. The song is actually pretty, a word that rarely described Limbo, Pantos hyperactive cabaret experiments. The rest of Two Dancers follows the lead of its opening track, and at first, the bands more abrasive side is missed -- listeners almost expect to be bombarded with a challenge after the debuts stunts. Instead, the Wild Beasts previously only hinted-at pop leanings come to the fore. "Hooting & Howling" manages to sound accessible and very little like any other bands at the same time (though Antony and the Johnsons and early Suede still feel like kindred spirits). Even the Wild Beasts philosophy seems clearer here -- while Two Dancers isnt a concept album (though Thorpe described it as "a collection of scenes"), there is a definite arc in how the songs relate to each other. Desire and sensual pleasures fuel these stories about eating, dreaming, stealing, and carousing, from "All the Kings Men"s flirtations to the libertine exploits of "We Still Got the Taste Dancin on Our Tongues," a spooky, spaghetti Western-tinged track with lyrics like "Trousers and blouses make excellent sheets." However, hedonisms violent side and its consequences arent forgotten amidst all the romance, and the album gets darker and more brooding as it unfolds. With Two Dancers, the Wild Beasts move from fascinating to accomplished, and that they did so just over a year after releasing Limbo, Panto makes that achievement all the more impressive. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 11 Title: iTunes Festival: London 2010 Released: 2010-07-16 Tracks: 6 Duration: 26:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 All the Kings Men (03:57) 2 We Still Got the Taste Dancin on Our Tongues (04:32) 3 Two Dancers (04:23) 4 Please, Sir (04:42) 5 The Devils Crayon (03:38) 6 Hooting & Howling (05:16) |
 | Album: 5 of 11 Title: Two Dancers (Remixes) Released: 2010-12-06 Tracks: 4 Duration: 23:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Fun Powder Plot (Junior Boys vocal remix) (08:23) 2 Two Dancers (ii) (Jon Hopkins remix) (06:46) 3 Two Dancers (ii) (Oneohtrix Point Never White Knights remix) (03:06) 4 This Is Our Lot (Son Lux mix) (05:39) |
 | Album: 6 of 11 Title: Reach a Bit Further Released: 2011 Tracks: 4 Duration: 04:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Reach a Bit Further (radio edit) (?) 2 Thankless Thing (?) 3 Smother (04:05) 4 Catherine Wheel (?) |
 | Album: 7 of 11 Title: Smother Released: 2011-05-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 42:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Lion’s Share (04:14) 2 Bed of Nails (04:18) 3 Deeper (03:01) 4 Loop the Loop (04:06) 5 Plaything (04:21) 6 Invisible (02:58) 7 Albatross (03:12) 8 Reach a Bit Further (03:36) 9 Burning (04:44) 10 End Come Too Soon (07:33) |
| Smother : Allmusic album Review : Starting with Limbo, Pantos “She Purred, While I Grrred,” Wild Beasts have never shied away from singing about sex, but they master it on Smother. While Two Dancers refined their palate and palette, offering a deceptively gentle sound that masked some of their most hedonistic lyrics, Smother goes even further, pairing quiet, achingly lovely music with words that convey all the beauty and pain that come with desire. The lead single, “Albatross,” which drifts along a rippling, gamelan-tinged melody, gave a taste of the album’s subtlety, but not of its full power: Smothers title is perfectly chosen, evoking stifled cries and what it’s like to be so suffocated with want that only whispers come out. Hayden Thorpes songs capture desire’s cruelty and demands, whether he’s taking a lover in his mouth “like a lion takes his game” on “Lion’s Share” or justifying any possible regrets on the hypnotic “Loop the Loop” with the refrain “All the heart requires is what it can’t compromise.” Like the rest of the album, Thorpes once-polarizing falsetto is much more nuanced, balancing the band’s cerebral and sensual sides on “Bed of Nails,” which blends allusions to Frankenstein and Hamlet over moaning backing vocals that are equal parts pain and pleasure. His standout moment, however, is Smothers dark centerpiece, “Plaything,” where the fire in his voice when he sings “I wonder how cruel I’ll be” removes any traces of foppishness from his vocals. Meanwhile, Tom Flemming sings of desire’s aftermath, to especially devastating effect on “Invisible,” which grows more expansive as he sighs, “The things I thought I’d want/They vanish one by one,” and “Burning,” where the mix of anguish and beauty recalls Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock-era Talk Talk. Things are a little lighter on “Reach a Bit Further,” where Thorpe and Flemming share the lead vocals (perhaps the only area where this album is lacking compared to Two Dancers). Wild Beasts continue to find finer ways of expressing themselves while still holding onto the primal passion they’ve always had, and Smother is some of their most accessible yet creative work. Anyone who loved Two Dancers won’t be disappointed, and anyone who felt alienated by Wild Beasts before just might want to give them another chance -- this is an album about desire that leaves listeners wanting more. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 11 Title: Present Tense Released: 2014-02-24 Tracks: 13 Duration: 56:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wanderlust (04:54) 2 Nature Boy (03:33) 3 Mecca (03:44) 4 Sweet Spot (03:59) 5 Daughters (04:46) 6 Pregnant Pause (03:09) 7 A Simple Beautiful Truth (02:35) 8 A Dog’s Life (03:21) 9 Past Perfect (02:57) 10 New Life (04:37) 11 Palace (03:20) 12 Wanderlust (Factory Floor remix) (07:11) 13 Wanderlust (The Field remix) (08:14) |
| Present Tense : Allmusic album Review : While its not exactly accurate to say Wild Beasts have gotten tamer with each release, its hard to deny that their music has become far more orderly and considered since the Limbo, Panto days. The band adopted a sleeker approach on the brilliant Smother, so the lean synth pop that provides Present Tenses backbone feels like a logical, if not exactly expected, progression. With the help of producers Lexx and Leo Abrahams -- who have worked with Björk and Brian Eno, respectively -- the group explores territory that is quieter but no less compelling than where theyve been before. Present Tenses implosive sound reflects the fact that comedowns and consequences cast a longer shadow over Wild Beasts songs than they used to. On "Mecca," Hayden Thorpe, Tom Flemming, and company spend more time yearning for pleasure than experiencing it. Even on more sensual songs like "Wanderlust" (which is rhymed with "voluptuous"), Thorpe sounds more jaded than brazen when he sings "Dont confuse me with someone who gives a fuck," providing the albums manifesto. As always, Wild Beasts have one of the finest indie songwriting duos in Thorpe and Flemming, whose styles still complement each other perfectly. Thorpe offers a more poetic interpretation of Present Tenses fascinations with loss and lust, particularly on the gorgeous "Sweet Spot," where he muses on the fleeting perfection "between two hands held in prayer" over sparkling guitars. Meanwhile, Flemming plays the heavy, with songs ranging from the somber "New Life" to the deeply unsettling "A Dogs Life," where lyrics like "Paint its lipstick bright red/Wipe the drool up gently" suggest misdeeds on a Silence of the Lambs level. His strongest moments are somewhere in between: "Nature Boy," which lumbers full of ominous masculinity, is equally cruel and alluring, while "Daughters" gives equal time to threatening femininity. Present Tense isnt as flawless as Smother; its slightly top-loaded, and occasionally the spare instrumentation borders on monotonous. Still, its a compelling album that shows Wild Beasts can build on their breakthrough in satisfying and challenging ways. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 11 Title: Boy King Released: 2016-08-05 Tracks: 11 Duration: 59:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Big Cat (03:07) 2 Tough Guy (03:31) 3 Alpha Female (03:44) 4 Get My Bang (03:32) 5 Celestial Creatures (04:27) 6 2BU (04:18) 7 He the Colossus (04:10) 8 Ponytail (03:38) 9 Eat Your Heart Out Adonis (03:56) 10 Dreamliner (04:44) 11 Boy King Trash (20:52) |
| Boy King : Allmusic album Review : Though Wild Beasts started streamlining their sound on 2011s brilliant Smother, theyve rarely used minimalism as purposefully -- and symbolically -- as they do on Boy King. On their fifth album, Wild Beasts lay their music and themes bare, giving them an urgency that feels like an equal and opposite reaction to Present Tenses contemplative sensuality. With the help of producer John Congleton, they craft taut, synth-driven grooves informed by hip-hop and R&B.; To their credit, they dont sound like the scores of other indie acts borrowing these sounds, although there is a resemblance to Muses 2012 hit "Madness" on "Get My Bang" and the power plays of the sly opening track "Big Cat." The only traces of the bands former exuberance can be found on Boy Kings guitar solos, which help break the musics tension in welcome and sometimes surprising ways: The doomy riff that appears out of nowhere on "He the Colossus" could have escaped from a Sunn O))) song. While the album continues Wild Beasts musical evolution, they remain true to the motifs of sex and power theyve explored since their early days. They can still make almost any phrase into a double entendre: When Hayden Thorpe sings "Ill be right behind you" on "Alpha Female," it reaffirms the layers that have always been in the bands music. However, sometimes their words are more obvious than before, perhaps to fit the simpler music. On "Tough Guy," the band peels off masculinitys mask, but its hard not to feel like they might have done so with more depth previously. Boy Kings hard-hitting themes border on repetitive, but Wild Beasts add some twists to their template on the albums second half. Tom Fleming contributes two of the brightest highlights: On "Ponytail," when he croons "I want you to trust me" over oily synths, its clear thats the last thing anyone should do; "2BU" is yearning and threatening at the same time, touching on the spine-tingling beauty and complexity of Wild Beasts at their best. Similarly, "Celestial Creatures" lives up to its name as it captures some of the divine and returns the sensuality to the bands music, while the lone ballad "Dreamliner" is a reminder of their vulnerability. Boy King may be some of Wild Beasts most consistent and accessible music, but at a price: It comes dangerously close to predictable, something the band never would have been called before. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 11 Title: Punk Drunk & Trembling Released: 2017-10-20 Tracks: 3 Duration: 10:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Punk Drunk & Trembling (03:48) 2 Last Night All My Dreams Came True (03:22) 3 Maze (02:57) |
 | Album: 11 of 11 Title: Last Night All My Dreams Came True Released: 2018-02-15 Tracks: 13 Duration: 52:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wanderlust (04:52) 2 Big Cat (03:19) 3 A Simple Beautiful Truth (02:28) 4 2BU (04:22) 5 Bed of Nails (04:08) 6 Hooting & Howling (04:38) 7 This Is Our Lot (04:25) 8 He the Colossus (04:23) 9 The Devils Palace (03:43) 10 Alpha Female (03:46) 11 Get My Bang (03:34) 12 All the Kings Men (03:59) 13 Celestial Creatures (04:52) |
| Last Night All My Dreams Came True : Allmusic album Review : Few bands have had breakups as amicable -- or well-documented -- as Wild Beasts. After they announced they were disbanding in September 2017, they issued Punk Drunk and Trembling, an EP of songs from the sessions for their final album Boy King. The following February, they embarked on a farewell tour and released Last Night All My Dreams Came True, a set of some of their definitive songs recorded live at RAK Studios. For those who couldnt make it to Wild Beasts final concerts, Last Night is the next best thing, capturing the energy of their shows while tracing their evolution from wild to sophisticated. The live setting balances both of these aspects: The band smooths some of the rough edges off of earlier songs like Two Dancers "All the Kings Men," and adds a little grit to suave Boy King tracks such as "Get My Bang." "The Devils Palace," a mash-up of Limbo, Pantos "The Devils Crayon" and Present Tenses "Palace," is an even more inspired blend of their sounds and eras that puts the interplay of Hayden Thorpes falsetto and Tom Flemings baritone front and center. That interplay -- which makes up the heart of Wild Beasts music -- also shines on the album-opener "Wanderlust." The bands flair for setting stories of toxic masculinity to deceptively pretty sounds remains unrivaled on "2BU" and "Big Cat," while "A Simple Beautiful Truth" and "Hooting and Howling" serve as reminders of just how skilled they were at subverting straightforward pop. More engaging and more thoughtful than a standard best-of, Last Night All My Dreams Came True is a rousing goodbye from one of the most acclaimed bands of their generation. | ||