The Horrors – Skying (2 LP - special edition)
When the Horrors made the jump from garage rock-flavored punk to shoegaze on 2009's Primary Colours, the result was revelatory, to say the least. I think I said something to the effect of "Got-damn! I say got-damn!" the first time I heard it, and the record continues to be a bright spot in shoegaze, a worthy successor to My Bloody Valentine and Ride. Here was a record with a throbbing, vibrant sonic array at its disposable, something that managed to sound dissonant and ethereal in equal measures.
But you can only pull that kind of a shocking turnaround once, which is why the group's follow-up, Skying, is nearly, almost, ever so slightly disappointing, to the extent that it doesn't bear the mind-blowing progression that marked its predecessor. Primary Colours was a thrilling left-field followup to Strange House; Skying is a logical progression. Still, when you're following up such a strong artistic breakthrough, being predictable isn't so bad.
Skying still falls under the shoegaze tag. Yet it's not quite as abrasive Colours, and that's a big difference. If Colourswas so loud it made you see sounds, Skying is the soft comedown, comparatively. Shit, the first two tracks, "Changing the Rain" and "You Said" walk at a mid-tempo pace, dropping melodies just like honey while being a better second coming of the Stone Roses than Second Coming itself. I'm also going to throw in a Psychedelic Furs reference, if no other reason than songs like "Endless Blue" having saxophone.
What fans get here is a play-with-the-margins kind of album. If you got on board with Primary Colours, congratulations, here's another record of swirling, noisy pop, albeit with more everything–more quiet parts, more post-punk inclinations, more sax. But you also get an it-ain't-broke kind of album, one that delivers on all the promise of Colours. Skying is nearly an hour in length, but it carries a hypnotic haze throughout.
If Colours was the sound of the Horrors showing off their record collections, Skying is them rising up to meet them. It proves that Colours wasn't a fluke. It reveals that a band that used to rely on shock tactics for attention actually had something going on underneath. It acts as the quieter yin to Colours' searing yang. Also it's just a straight-up good album.
Label: XL Recordings
Country: UK
Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)
Gatefold sleeve. Includes 12"x12" prints of each of the five band members.